


All Hale the King

by Halevetica



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Alpha Gage, Derek has a twin, F/M, Hale Pack, Hale Twins, Hale brothers - Freeform, M/M, Pining Derek Hale, Slow Burn, Smut, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Twin Brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-04-06 17:08:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 53
Words: 71,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14061519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halevetica/pseuds/Halevetica
Summary: It's been three months since Derek left Beacon Hills. He didn't say bye to anyone. He left his pack without an alpha. Then all of a sudden he's back, but he seems out of character. Stiles automatically assumes he's been cursed, that is until he finds out that he isn't Derek at all, but his twin brother, Gage. Gage is nothing like his brother and he falls in with the pack perfectly and he's an alpha. Stiles and Gage become good friends. Then one day, Derek does come back and Gage steps down as alpha. Stiles is pissed. He and Derek never got along. Derek was rude, harsh, snappy, bossy, forceful, all the things you could hate in a guy. Now he's forced to answer to Derek, who thinks he's king. Stiles is sick of it and decides it's time Derek was put in check.





	1. Gage

The door to the police station opened. The Sheriff looked up from the file he was looking at with one of his deputies.

"Hale, it's been a while." Sheriff smiled at the dark haired man that had just stepped into his station.

"Uh, hey, Sheriff." Gage gave a small smile.

"What can I do for you?" Sheriff Stilinski asked giving Gage his full attention.

"Umm, I'm looking for Stiles." Gage responded. He hoped the sheriff knew who he was talking about. He couldn't remember the last name Cora had given him.

"Oh, he's probably at home, he usually cooks me dinner on Thursdays but I have to cover third so I won't be home til late. He said he would be studying but who knows what that really means." The Sheriff chuckled.

"Right, uh, thanks." Gage gave a nod as he turned and hurried out the door.

"No problem....Derek." Sheriff Stilinski shook his head. Derek had always been somewhat of a mystery to him.

Gage climbed into his car and pulled up Cora's number.

"Hey little sis." Gage smiled at the sound of her voice.

"Hey, Gage. You make it?" Cora asked.

"Yeah, hey, do you know where Stiles lives?" Gage asked as he backed out of the station parking lot.

"Yeah, third house on the left off Oleander." Cora recited.

"Wow, you knew that quick." Gage noted.

"Derek drug me there a few too many times." Cora explained in a bored tone.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna see if he's home."

"Okay, oh and remember he's a little overwhelming but he'll be the one in charge of the pack." Cora reminded her older brother.

"Isn't he the human though?" Gage frowned.

"Yeah, but trust me, he's smarter than he looks." Cora chuckled.  
"Don't tell him I said that."

Gage laughed in agreement. Once Gage had hung up he turned into Stiles' driveway.

"Okay, you can do this, just be honest." Gage gave himself a quick pep talk as he walked up the few stone steps.

He took a deep breath and knocked.

-

Stiles was reading through a book Deaton had given him labelled 'Unethical Beings'. Stiles had merely mentioned how annoying it was to come across a new supernatural creature, and know nothing about it. So far the druid was right, this would help more than any internet website.

Stiles had just started on the chapter of sirens when he heard a knock at the front door.

"Who knocks anymore?" Stiles asked as he pulled himself off his bed. Any members of the pack would just walk in, unless he'd locked the door.

Stiles reached the door, nope not locked. He paused, and pulled his bat from the coat closet, before opening the door.

When he laid eyes on the person standing on his doorstep he felt his jaw drop. He didn't know what all emotions he was feeling, but the most prominent was definitely anger

Gripping the bat tightly Stiles slammed the door being sure to lock it. Derek wouldn't be stupid enough to break the lock.

He made his way back up the stairs. He threw his bat down on the bed harshly. Stiles began to process all his emotions, shock, relief, confusion and finally anger. Was Derek Hale really standing on his front step? Thank goodness he was okay. What was he doing back? How dare he show back up like nothing happened.

Stiles ran his hands through his hair as he paced his room. Okay, maybe he was in danger. "Pff, who cares? He left." Stiles responded to himself out loud.

Just then the familiar sound of Stiles' window opening caused him to whip around. Now standing in front of him was the man he hated most, and Stiles hated a lot of people.

"Stiles, let me explain." Gage held his hands up hoping Stiles would relax some. Cora told him the easiest way to get in was through Stiles' window. Derek did it all the time. However, based on the murderous look in Stiles' eyes, he was regretting listening to her.

"Let you explain? Are you kidding me? I should shove wolfsbane up your ass for even showing up here, but you want me to let you explain?" Stiles was yelling and throwing his hands around in wild gestures.

"Let you explain? Are you kidding me? I should shove wolfsbane up your ass for even showing up here, but you want me to let you explain?" Stiles was yelling and throwing his hands around in wild gestures  
"Okay, you have every right to be mad but-"

"I don't need your justification. I know I have every right to be mad. I also have every right to call Argent and have him pump you full of lead. It won't kill you, but damn will it hurt." Stiles snapped not allowing Gage to talk.

"Okay, okay, listen, I'll leave okay, I'll give you time to calm down and we can talk tomorrow, deal?" Gage asked backing towards the window he came through.

Stiles frowned pausing for a moment.

"That's it?" Stiles huffed in confusion.

"What?" Gage frowned back just as confused.

"No yelling, or slamming me against doors, or threatening to rip my throat out?" Stiles asked still frowning.

Gage chuckled dropping his head. "Oh, brother."

"Excuse me?" Stiles flailed his arms in frustration.

"Okay, look, I'm not Derek." Gage spoke holding back a smile.   
"My name is Gage."

Stiles looked at Gage in shock.

"Damn it, what the hell did you get yourself into?" Stiles huffed running his hands over his face in frustration.

"What do you mean?" Gage cocked his head slightly  
"What do you mean?" Gage cocked his head slightly.

Stiles fought back a dog joke as he dropped into his computer chair.

"Sit, while I figure out how to undo whatever...this..." Stiles gestured to Gage's whole body. "...is."

Gage didn't move.

"Okay, so did you have a run in with a fairy or pixie or druid or...a witch? Are witches real? Who am I kidding, there's a literal werewolf in my room, of course witches are real." Stiles rambled.

"Stiles." Gage chuckled as he spun Stiles' chair so the younger guy was now facing him.

"I'm not cursed and I'm not Derek. I'm his twin brother Gage." The raven haired guy was knelt in front of Stiles. "I finally decided it was time to come home, I've been running long enough." Gage shrugged as he stood.

Stiles gaped at the werewolf. "Prove it." Stiles said with another gesture towards Gage.

"Here." Gage dug out his drivers license and handed it to Stiles.

Stiles snatched the card narrowing his eyes at Gage. He flipped the card and examined it thoroughly.

"Hmm, it's not fake." Stiles hummed handing back the card.

"See? Do you believe me now?" Gage asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, yes, but you've got a lot of explaining to do." Stiles leaned back in his chair gesturing for Gage to sit on his bed.

Gage sat down before looking up to meet Stiles' scrutinizing gaze.


	2. Gonna take some getting used to

Stiles sat with his arms crossed looking at Gage. Derek's twin brother. The fact that Derek had a twin brother was baffling. The fact that Derek neglected to mention him, however, was not.

"So umm, I'm not sure what all you know so, I'll start at the beginning. My mother Talia was the alpha of the Hale pack. We all lived in this house out near the reserve, anyway, when Derek and I were fifteen, the Argents burnt our house down while we were at school. We came home to find half the house gone and everyone..." Gage paused.

"Laura, Derek, and myself were the only survivers. Laura was next in line to be Alpha as she was the oldest. When our mother died she officially became the alpha. She moved us to New York. It was safe and we could...heal." Gage struggled to find the right word.

Someone sent Laura a picture of a dead deer with the signature spiral indicating revenge. Laura came back here to investigate who had sent the picture. Our uncle Peter had apparently sent it to lure her here so that he could kill her and take her alpha status. When we didn't hear from Laura, Derek came back and killed Peter, becoming alpha. Of course Peter somehow haunted some chick causing her to resurrect him."

Stiles scoffed. "That 'chick' is part of the pack, and her name is Lydia."

"Oh, Lydia, I recall her being mentioned. Redhead who's a walking encyclopedia?" Gage asked as he recalled the names Derek had talked about and the names Cora had given him.

"Yeah." Stiles answered. "Anyway."

"Anyway, Derek suggested I come back, but I wasn't ready. Plus I had come across a pack who's alpha was a dick. We got into a fight and I ended up becoming their alpha. I decided to stay and lead my knewly acquired pack. I had been toying with the idea of coming home but I needed to stay with my pack. I couldn't abandon them."

Stiles scoffed again, but mostly to himself. 

"Well an alpha showed up claiming hunters had found him and his pack. All that was left was him and one of his beta's. He wanted to lay low for a while. We took them in. After a couple months I had him take over as alpha. I tried getting a hold of Derek but couldn't. Cora told me he left Beacon Hills to take care of some loose ends, whatever that meant. Cora told me he left his pack without an alpha. I decided now might be a good time to come back, and if you allowed and the pack accepted me, I could be your alpha."

Stiles looked surprised and confused at the same time.

"If I allowed?" Stiles asked. Surely he heard that wrong.

"Cora said you would be the leader of the pack." Gage nodded.

Stiles snorted. "Cora said that?"

"Yeah, she said you were the brains of the operation." Gage nodded again.

"Also, while we're talking about Cora, thank you for helping save her from Deucalion and his pack. I was shocked to hear she was alive." Gage gave Stiles a small smile.

Stiles blinked a few times. "Are you sure you're related to Derek? He is nowhere near as nice as you. Cora either for that matter."

Gage laughed softly. "Cora had to grow up alone. She didn't know we had survived the fire. She was only eleven. She ended up in South America somehow. And Derek...well he holds a lot of grief from the fire."

"And you and Laura?" Stiles asked. He hadn't heard the story as a whole like this. He'd only gathered pieces here and there and put some things together. Derek never talked about any of this stuff, ever.

"Laura was so much like our mom. She was a great alpha and the best sister. She was sweet and fun. She never let her grief change her. I did my best to follow her example. Derek...he was too bitter." Gage sighed sadly.

Stiles bit at his bottom lip as he processed everything Gage had told him.

"Okay. Everything you told me lines up with what I already knew, and you filled in a couple blanks." Stiles nodded thoughtfully.

"Sooo, what does that mean?" Gage asked raising a curious eyebrow at Stiles.

"It means, tomorrow you meet the pack. I'll call an emergency pack meeting and we'll go from there." Stiles said as he turned back to his computer and closed out of the tabs he had pulled up before closing it.

"Great." Gage smiled.

"That's gonna take some getting used to." Stiles huffed in amusement.

"What is?" Gage asked.

"Seeing a smile on what is basically Derek's face."

Gage chuckled. "Yeah, he can be a bit broody."

The werewolf stood to leave, when Stiles stopped him.

"Wait, where uh, are you staying?" Stiles asked.

"Please tell me you aren't gonna go stay in your old house like Derek did."

"I thought Derek got a loft?" Gage frowned.

"Yeah cause he got tired of hunters and random ass teenagers waltzing in, since, you know, there isn't really a way to keep them out, what with half of it missing." Stiles rolled his eyes.

"He likes to punish himself for what happened." Gage sighed giving Stiles a sad smile.

"Why? It's not like he knew Kate was a hunter or that she was using him to get to his family. She was an attractive older woman and he was a hormonal teenager. If anything what she did with him was completely illegal. Like what sick person seduces a fifteen year old kid so they can get what they want?" Stiles sneered in disgust at the thought.

Gage rose his brows at the human.

"He told you about him and Kate?"

Stiles scoffed. "Yeah right. I figured that out on my own. He didn't even mention you, much less his crazy ex girlfriend who murdered his whole family."

Gage rose his brows again.

"Wow, that was super insensitive of me, I'm sorry, dude." Stiles rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's fine." Gage shook his head grinning at Stiles.

"Anyway, to answer your question, I was gonna track down a hotel nearby. Figured I would hunt for somewhere to live over the next few days."

"Ugh, the closest one is Beacon motel, and it's a dump not to mention overpriced. Why don't you take the spare room until you find someplace. I know my dad won't mind." Stiles offered.

"Are you sure he won't mind?" Gage frowned.

"Positive." Stiles nodded.

"And you don't mind?" Gage asked raising a curious brow.

"Not at all. You've been straight forward and honest with me. Plus you haven't threatened my life, told me to shut up, or pushed me up against the nearest wall." Stiles smiled earning a small laugh from Gage.

"I like you, Stiles."

"Yeah, if you weren't an exact replica of Derek, I would demand a DNA test. There is no way you two are related." Stiles shook his head as he lead Gage to the spare room.

It was simple but accommodating, and perfect for any guy. Stiles' dad had allowed him and Scott to pick out the bedding and other small decorations. Basically the bedding was all green with a few baseball pictures on the wall, and a t.v. across from the bed.

"Make yourself at home." Stiles gave a nod to the alpha with a small smile.

Gage gave Stiles a large appreciative grin.

Stiles shook his head.  
"Definitely gonna take some getting used to."


	3. Sad

Stiles layed in bed, staring at the ceiling as he tried to grasp the fact that Derek's literal twin brother was sleeping in his spare bedroom. He had text his dad the night before letting him know what was going on, just in case one of his deputies happened to drive by and notice a strange car in his driveway, he wouldn't send three more with guns blazing. His dad had been equally as surprised about Derek having a twin brother. Of course it had taken his dad pulling up the families records for him to believe it. When he was sure Stiles wasn't lying, he told him Gage could stay as long as he needed.

Stiles rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. He hadn't slept much as his dreams had been riddled with memories of Derek. The most prominent one being when he left.

Stiles dialed Derek's number for the third time, again straight to voicemail.

"Derek, where are you? Isaac is missing and Scott is freaking out, so if you could turn your phone on that would be great. And if you don't call me back I'm gonna kill you, I'm too mad to think of a witty description about how, but I'm just gonna do it. Call me." Stiles groaned as he threw his phone on the bed.

Issac had gotten into a fight with Ethan at school and the two shifted in the hall way. Stiles had to get them out before they were caught. He had managed to close them in an empty room while he tried to calm down the two rampant wolves. In his attempt to talk to Ethan, Isaac took off. He hadn't been able to find him after.

It had been three days before Issac showed back up, looking like hell. He had apparently gone to find Derek, his alpha, only to end up chasing a scent that went cold. The pack had been worried sick about Derek, to the point where Stiles reached out to Peter. Peter had informed him that Derek had skipped town to take care of some things and not to expect him back any time soon, if at all.

Stiles had been pissed and hurt. How could he have left without saying anything. He had basically left Stiles to manage a pack of misfits. They had, the dopey werewolf Scott, the orphaned werewolf Issac, the freshly turned werewolf Liam, the banshee Lydia, the huntress Allison, and then himself the hyperactive human. Stiles had always helped Derek manage the pack. Between saving them from creepy lizard men, wolfsbane bullets, and drowning. Then there was the hours of research he poured into everything supernatural. He was the one to discover that Lydia was a banshee. He was also the one that helped Liam learn to control his shifts when Derek and him couldn't work together. He let Derek fuss about all the things the pack needed to work on. He let the pack fuss to him about how Derek would drive them crazy. He'd been bait for the alpha pack. He'd discovered the pattern of the human sacrifices the Darach was using. Hell he'd been the one to discover he was the one leaving ominous clues and threats when he had been possessed by the nogitsune. Then once he had been freed of the possession he had figured out the game the Japanese spirit of chaos had been playing and managed to beat him.

In the end it was always him. Everyone always called him, and yet Derek didn't have the decency to even let him know with a text, much less say goodbye or explain himself. Instead he disappeared making them all worry.

Stiles was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of a knock on his door.

Stiles pulled it open to see Gage standing with a concerned look on his face.

"Gage, what's up? You alright?" Stiles asked.

"I uh, was actually coming to check on you." Gage answered looking mildly uncomfortable.

"Me? Why?" Stiles asked taken aback.

"I umm, you smelled really sad." Gage gave a small sympathetic smile.

"You came to check on me cause I'm sad?" Surely Stiles hadn't heard that right.

"Yeah, it started off frustrated, then angry, then...it was an overwhelming sadness. It was stronger than the other two. I just wanted to make sure you're okay." Gage shrugged.

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck. Something he did when he wasn't sure what to do or say.

"Thanks, I was actually thinking about- you know what, you don't want to hear about this." Stiles shook his head.

"Yes I do, especially if we're going to be working together." Gage said, his tone sincere.

"Working together?" Stiles frowned at the werewolf.

"Cora said you were practically the emissary of the pack. You and Derek worked together for the good of the pack, right?" Gage asked tilting his head slightly. Something Stiles had never seen Derek do. It was a cute look.

"Derek didn't work together with anyone. I came up with the plans, and did a lot of the research but not without Derek telling me to shut up or rolling his eyes at ever other thing I said. He begrudgingly let me call the shots on occasion but he and I...we had a complicated relationship. He liked being the boss and in charge and I don't like to be bossed around and I didn't have a problem standing up to him. He hated it." Stiles shrugged.

"Also he doesn't have a sense of humor, and I'm hilarious." Stiles winked earning a grin from Gage.

"See, Derek would have growled at me just then." Stiles pointed out.

"He didn't used to be like that you know." Gage sighed.

"It's hard to imagine him any other way." Stiles dropped his eyes suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation.

"He's why you were sad." Gage frowned. It wasn't posed as a question.

"What makes you think that?" Stiles scoffed.

"You're scent is sad again. Do you miss him?" Gage asked his tone gentle.

Stiles frowned. "Miss him? Not likely. Do I miss not having to manage a pack of supernatural beings on my own? Yes. Do I miss Derek? No." Stiles answered.

"Then why are you sad?" Gage asked taking a small step forward. He wanted to comfort Stiles but he refrained.

"Because I'm hurt. After everything we had been through together...." Stiles clenched his jaw trying not to get too worked up.

"No matter what, I knew I could trust him. And even though he would never admit it, I know he trusted me too. We hated each other sure, but we put the pack first always, and that required us to trust each other. It took a while but, there was no question as to who I would call if I needed someone. But then...I needed him and..." Stiles felt his frustration rise as he continued to talk.

"He wasn't there." Gage finished for him.

Stiles only nodded. He was so mad. He thought he'd let it go, but seeing Gage brought it all back to the surface.

"I'm sorry, Stiles." Gage reached for the human.

Stiles felt a hand touch his shoulder gently.

Stiles looked up in surprise. Gage really wasn't anything like Derek. Stiles wasn't sure why but he felt odd being here with a friendly, sweet, even, version of Derek. Stiles had gotten so used to being around the sourwolf. He had even grown to understand a little bit about why he was the way he was. Derek was a dick there was no denying that, but, he was guarded, jaded, had serious trust issues and deep down he hated himself. He didn't have the security of friends because he wouldn't let anyone in. Being alone for so long would make anyone into an asshole.

At that moment Stiles' alarm went off on his phone.

"It's time to wake up." Stiles smiled before walking into his room. Within minutes his phone was ringing.

"Hey, dad." Stiles answered.

"Hey, Stiles, I'm gonna be a little late getting home so don't worry about cooking breakfast. Olivia brought me an oatmeal smoothie, it's actually not bad." Noah spoke to his son around a mouth full of said smoothie.

"Okay, tell Olivia I said thank you. I won't be home when you get here, I've called a pack meeting." Stiles held the phone with his shoulder as he sifted through one of his dresser drawers.

Gage watched in amusement as Stiles kept the phone in place as he moved around his room quickly. Once he hung up with his dad he nudged the phone causing it to land perfectly on his unmade bed as he walked by.

"Okay, do you like pancakes?" Stiles asked suddenly stopping. His arms are full of clothes a random notebook and what looked to be a folded map.

"Yes." Gage answered giving Stiles a curious look.

"Great, I'm gonna get dressed and we can hit my favorite breakfast diner before we meet up with the pack." Stiles smiled excitedly.

His smile was infectious, causing Gage to smile back. He rather enjoyed Stiles. He was different. Fun yet serious, kind yet harsh. He was a good balance.


	4. Too early in the relationship to say

The smell of blueberry pancakes hit Stiles' nose as he and Gage were served their food.

"It smells heavenly, right?" Stiles grinned at Gage who was eyeing the tray of food hungrily.

"I'm glad you think so, I made sure you got extra whipped cream cause I know how much you like it." The girl serving them grinned widely at Stiles. She was no more than sixteen, blue eyes and blonde hair.

"Thanks, Amelia." Stiles smiled not looking up from the plate she had sat in front of him.

"Who's your friend? You don't normally bring anyone other than Scott with you." Amelia asked glancing at Gage before focusing her eyes back on Stiles.

"He's..." Stiles paused looking up at Gage.

The alpha raised a brow while smirking. He was curious what Stiles' response would be.

"Umm, well it's still a little early in the relationship to say, I guess." Stiles shrugged.

The shock on Amelia's face caused Gage to laugh.

"Oh." Amelia looked at Gage enviously.

"Gage." The werewolf stuck his hand out.

"Nice to meet you." Amelia took Gage's hand obviously trying to be polite but Gage could smell the jealousy rolling off of her.

"Enjoy." Amelia turned then, hurrying off to her next task.

"She seems nice." Gage noted.

"Yeah, she always insists on serving me when I come in, it's sweet." Stiles smiled at the waitress as if she were like a little sister to him.

"That poor girl." Gage laughed shaking his head.

"What? Why?" Stiles frowned before shoving a fork full of blueberry pancake in his mouth.

"She obviously likes you and you made her think we were in a relationship together." Gage answered as he ate a piece of bacon.

"What? No I didn't. She asked who you were, we're not really friends, and acquaintances sounds weird." Stiles shook his head.

"So you told her it was too early in the relationship to say." Gage said with a grin.

Stiles eyes went wide. "Dude, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to- I can't believe I-" Stiles cut himself off as he groaned.

"I think it's funny. Amelia, however..." Gage tossed a glance at the sulking blonde.

"Amelia doesn't like me, she's just a sweet girl." Stiles shook his head as he shovled in another bite.

"Right, and I'm the queen of England." Gage scoffed.

"I think you'd make a handsome queen." Stiles winked.

Gage chuckled. "You're a lot of fun, Stiles. You would have liked Laura. You remind me a lot of her."

Stiles bit his lower lip.

"I made you uncomfortable." Gage noted Stiles' mood change.

"It's just...Derek never talked about his family, ever." Stiles shrugged.

"It's weird to hear them be mentioned so casually."

"Derek hated when Laura and I would reminisce about old times. I think it made him feel guilty." Gage sighed as he played with the straw in his water.

"Yeah, if I so much as thought about mentioning them or Kate or anything to do with that night, Derek would threaten my life. I decided it best not to provoke the wolf."

Gage nodded sadly.

"Anyway, sorry I made it seem like we were, ya know..." Stiles squirmed.

"It's okay, that doesn't bother me." Gage smiled.

"Oh okay, then I should probably clue you in on somethings before we meet the pack. Issac is gay, he doesn't like to talk about it cause his dad was an abusive asshole about it. I used to date Malia. No awkwardness though so we're fine. Another werewolf that is not really in the pack but helps out on occasion is Ethan, he's gay and I'm pretty sure he had a thing for Derek but was scared of him, for obvious reasons. I think he and Issac may like each other and that is why they fight all the time. I used to be crazy in love with Lydia, not anymore. Scott is dating Allison. I'm sort of harbouring a crush on Ethan's ex, Danny. And Liam is...well...Liam." Stiles shrugged. He watched with careful eyes as Gage processed what he said.

"Okay, so don't mention Isaacs dad, sexual preference or Ethan to Issac. Don't mention Danny to Ethan. Tease you about Lydia. Don't mention you and Malia unnecessarily. Don't flirt with Allison or Scott. Lydia is free game, and Liam is just Liam." Gage nodded.

"You took that rather well." Stiles said slightly surprised and overly pleased.

"I suppose I should tell you that I have been told by Cora that you, Malia and Liam are off limits. I was jealous Kate picked Derek. And I had a huge crush on a guy who liked Derek, so Derek agreed to go out with him and let me take his spot." Gage spoke as he buttered another pancake. 

"Uh, wow, so you're...into both?" Stiles was shocked.

"You seem surprised." Gage raised a brow.

"Well, I guess I just didn't expect it." Stiles shrugged, slightly embarrassed.

"Wait, so even though Derek is obviously into both, you were surprised I was?" Gage cocked his head in that way, Stiles thought was cute.

Stiles nearly chocked on his drink.

"What? Derek? You're kidding me." Stiles' jaw was on the floor.

"You didn't know?" Gage frowned.

"You think he would tell me something like that?" Stiles scoffed.

"You two spent a lot of time together, you're obviously smart...I assumed you would have figured it out." Gage shrugged.

"Honestly, he never even so much as glanced at anyone much less showed interest. Other than Jennifer. I assumed he had had his fill of dating after her, Paige, and Kate." Stiles answered shoving another piece of bacon into his mouth.

"Did you just say Paige?" Gage asked looking at Stiles, stunned.

"Oh, uh...Yeah, Peter told me about her." Stiles rubbed the back of his neck.

"I see. Why did he tell you that?" Gage asked. He had put his fork down and was looking at Stiles intently.

"Derek had lost one of his betas, well two actually, to the alpha pack we fought a while back. He took off for a few days to clear his head. Apparently the way one of his betas died, reminded Peter of Paige. He told us that was why his eyes were blue before he became an alpha. They turn when you take the life of an innocent. He had put Paige out of her misery when her body started to reject the bite. Ennis, one of the alpha's in Deucalion's pack, was responsible for Paige's death and then he was responsible for Boyd's, Derek's beta."  
Stiles rattled quickly.

"Does anyone else know?" Gage asked.

"Cora. Peter told her too." Stiles answered.

Gage noticed that Stiles wasn't nervous to talk about it, or scared of his reaction, he felt sorry, obviously for Derek.

"Who all did you tell?" Gage asked knowing Stiles had told other members of the pack, he just needed to know who.

"No one." Stiles frowned shaking his head vigorously.

"That's nobody's business. It wasn't mine. I would never tell anyone something so personal. Just like I never told anyone about Kate. Sure, everyone knows Kate was responsible, but noone knows that Derek dated Kate, or that she used him. Derek has enough issues without everyone knowing his business." Stiles frowned as he pushed a bite of pancake around on his plate.

"It baffles me that you and Derek didn't get along. You're smart, loyal, trustworthy and care about the pack as much as an alpha would. These are all things Derek would appreciate." Gage frowned thoughtfully.

"You're forgetting the part where, I'm human. I didn't have a problem challenging him. He couldn't control me as if I was one of his betas. I rarely listened to him if he told me not to do something. I saved his ass more times than he'd ever admit. Plus, according to him, I never shut up, I'm a hyper-active spazz and a liability." Stiles shrugged, clearly unfazed by the things Derek thought of him.

"You probably reminded him of Laura." Gage grinned.

"And you don't understand why we didn't get along?" Stiles scoffed.

"Okay, fair point. Well, I like that you remind me of Laura. She was...the most amazing person." Gage smiled fondly at Stiles.

Stiles felt his cheeks flush.

"No pressure or anything." Stiles mumbled knowing Gage could hear him. He liked Gage, he was so different from Derek. They looked identical, so much so that, he wasn't sure he'd be able to tell them apart if they were side by side in front of him; unless Gage kept his infectious smile. Stiles was sure he'd never even seen the sourwolf smile, not sincerely anyway. He wondered if Derek's smile would be as beautiful as Gage's. Probably, but it would be lacking the true happiness and carefree sparkle Gage's carried. Something Stiles was growing to like.


	5. Emergency Meeting

Stiles paced the floor of Deaton's staff room, a small closet sized room with a table in the center. Deaton had given the pack permission to use the six by six room for pack meetings during the week. When the office was closed they were allowed to use the examination room. It was currently Saturday, which meant the office was closed. Stiles usually only called pack meetings on Sunday's and Wednesday's, but this was an emergency.

"What are you so worried about?" Gage asked, watching Stiles walk from one end of the tiny room to the other.

"I'm just thinking about the way they're gonna react." Stiles answered not slowing his pace.

"You don't see it going well?" Gage raised a brow at the human.

"No, it's not that. In fact I think it's going to go quite well, but I have a feeling they're going to bring up things I'd rather not talk about." Stiles sighed finally stopping his stride.

"They're five minutes late." Stiles snapped glancing at the clock, then down to his watch, then back up at the clock again.

"I think they're here." Gage said as he heard talking outside.

Stiles opened the door to walk into the examination room just as the rest of the pack walked in.

"Six minutes late, when I call an emergency pack meeting, it's because it's an emergency." Stiles huffed throwing his arms up in frustration.

The pack stood still and silent. Stiles was about to question them when he realized they were looking past him.

He turned to see Gage standing behind him.

"Oh uh, hol-hold on a second." Stiles turned to Gage.

"Let me do the talking."

Gage gave a small nod as Stiles turned back to the pack.

"Okay, so I'm sure you have figured out why I called an emergency meeting." Stiles squinted at the pack waiting for the outbursts he knew were coming.

"He's not our alpha anymore." Scott snapped.

"Scott, yes, he is." Issac disagreed.

"I agree, he can't just show back up and take back the pack he obviously doesn't care about." Allison glared at the alpha.

"Maybe he has a good explanation." Liam shrugged.

"It would have to be a damn good one." Malia scoffed.

"It was obviously good enough to win over Stiles and we all know how impossible that is." Lydia piped in.

The pack all turned to Stiles, who shifted slightly.

"Okay, so, this seems a little crazy, I know, but-"

"A little crazy? Stiles did you forget what he put you through? He left without so much as a word." Scott snapped, cutting Stiles off mid sentence.

"But this-"

"You never trust anyone so easily much less forgive, don't let you're thoughts cloud your judgment. I know you missed him but you were devastated for weeks." Lydia spoke gently.

"True."

"She's right."

"Okay, stop." Stiles yelled. He knew they were going to go down that path again and he didn't want to think about Derek.

"This has nothing to do with Derek. Well...not entirely." Stiles frowned glancing at Gage.

"Maybe you could explain that a little better?" Isaac asked cocking his head.

"Like I was saying, I know this seems a little crazy but, hear me out. So yesterday, well last night, this guy shows up at my house. I had the same reaction as you guys. I had questions, concerns, anger..." Stiles turned to Derek's twin, motioning him forward.

Gage stepped up next to Stiles.

"As you all know, Derek was excellent at neglecting to tell us stuff. This was no exception." Stiles gestured to the werewolf next to him.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Gage, Derek's twin brother."

The pack stood in stunned silence.

Gage cleared his throat. "It's good to finally meet you all, I've heard so much about you." Gage gave an encouraging yet shy smile.

"Okay, weird." Liam spoke first.

"How do you know this guy's legit?" Allison asked narrowing her eyes at Gage.

"His driver's license is real, he talked all about his family, and of course my dad pulled his records." Stiles shrugged with a slightly guilty smile directed at Gage, who had his brows raised but a smirk on his lips.

"You look exactly like Derek." Scott spoke in awe as he stepped toward the alpha.

"I get that a lot." Gage chuckled.

"Okay, this is super weird, Derek never joked or smiled or... I don't know if I've ever heard him laugh." Allison shook her head in disbelief.

"It definitely is gonna take some getting used to." Stiles nodded.

"So wait, where have you been this whole time?" Isaac asked.

"New York. I was running a pack so I never made it down here, I passed on the reigns and when I tried contacting Derek, I couldn't. Cora told me he left here and didn't know where he went. I thought it might be time to come back, and when I heard you guys didn't have an alpha..." Gage shrugged.

"We do have an alpha, Stiles is our alpha." Malia snapped.

"Oh, trust me, I'm not trying to take his place, but maybe he could use an alpha werewolf as an advisor." Gage smiled at Stiles.

"Uh uh, don't you give him those innocent eyes and charming smile. You Hale's have done nothing but hurt him. He doesn't deserve it." Malia growled as she stepped forward.

Gage grinned. "You must be Malia."

"How did you-?" Malia narrowed her eyes again.

"Derek and I spoke often while he was here." Gage explained.

"Well I don't care if I'm technically related to you, I won't let you hurt Stiles." Malia snapped stepping between Stiles and Gage.

"I admire your loyalty, definitely a Hale trait." Gage smiled fondly at the aggravated werewolf.

"I assure you I have no ill intentions towards Stiles. I simply wanted to inquire about my brother's prior position." Gage responded simply.

"Malia, it's okay." Stiles put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"Stiles, he's Derek's twin brother, we all know how much hell Derek put you through. Do you really want to deal with that again?" Malia huffed turning to Stiles.

"He's not like Derek." Stiles shook his head.

"Yeah and Derek's not like Peter, that doesn't make Derek a good person." Malia sneered.

"I understand what you're saying, but we can at least give him a chance." Stiles argued gently.

"I don't want to force anything on them. If they aren't comfortable with it, then I don't have to stay." Gage said looking at Stiles in concern.

"In a situation like this, we take a vote about giving you a chance. If you get voted through you have two weeks then we vote again. After that you're either in or you're out." Stiles explained.

"That's perfect." Gage nodded.

"Okay, so all in favor of giving Gage a chance." Stiles put his hand up. Lydia, Liam, Isaac and Scott followed suit.

"Malia and Allison, somehow I'm not surprised." Stiles snickered shaking his head.

"I take it they didn't like Derek." Gage said looking at Stiles.

"Well, Derek killed Allison's mom, and Derek treated Malia the way he treated Peter, what with her being his daughter and all. So no they didn't really like Derek." Stiles answered.

Gage raised his brows. "Uh, wow, yeah, okay, maybe coming back here wasn't such a good idea." Gage pursed his lips in a tight line.

Stiles laughed. "You'll be fine. So for quick introductions-"

"Wait, let me see if I can tell who is who." Gage said glancing over everyone.

"Okay, I know you're Malia. You're Lydia, which leaves Allison." Gage pointed out the three girls.

"Scott wasn't turned by Derek so you must be Scott." Gage pointed to Stiles' oldest friend.

"Which makes one of you Liam and the other Isaac." Gage pondered a moment.

"Liam is still fairly new which means that you must be Liam and you Isaac." Gage guessed.

"You got them all right." Stiles nodded impressed.  
"Somebody did their homework." Lydia noted.

"I couldn't show up trying to join a pack without knowing the pack. A good alpha knows his pack better than he knows himself." Gage shrugged as if it was obvious.

"Which one of you is technically older?" Liam asked suddenly.

"I am. Derek is younger by three minutes." Gage grinned.

"That's crazy. I can't believe there's two of you." Liam spoke in awe.

"How identical are you exactly? Like totally, or mirrored, or what?" Isaac asked next.

"We're identical but we have very slight differences, secretly, if you look close enough. Our mother and Laura were the only two that could consistently tell us apart." Gage smiled fondly.

"What are they?" Liam asked.

"If I told you, they wouldn't be a secret." Gage winked.

Stiles looked at Gage curiously. What differences did Gage have from Derek? He eyed the alpha but didn't notice anything too obvious. He would definitely pay attention. He knew Derek like the back of his hand. He knew the looks he would make or his response before he said them. He knew Derek's body language. He knew his strengths, his weaknesses and his past. Gage may be extremely different from Derek, as far as his personality goes, but physically, he wasn't sure he'd be able to pinpoint it, especially without Derek there to compare.


	6. An Alpha

"Stiles, do you really think this is a good idea?" Malia whispered pulling Stiles away from the others who were currently talking to Gage.

"I know it seems crazy, but I trust him." Stiles shrugged glancing back at the Derek look alike.

"Do you trust him because he looks exactly like Derek, or do you actually trust him?" Malia crossed her arms.

"This has nothing to do with Derek, I told you." Stiles huffed.

"Stiles, he's Derek's identical twin brother, who just decided to show up out of nowhere wanting to be the alpha of the pack." Malia glared past Stiles at Gage who was smiling at something Isaac had said.

"Malia, I know you didn't like Derek, but this isn't Derek. This is Gage. So far he's nothing like Derek. They may look identical, but he is what I always imagined Derek would have been like if the Hale fire hadn't happened." Stiles tried to get Malia to give Gage a chance, other than himself, she was the least trusting of the pack.

"Just because he smiles you're ready to let him lead the pack?" Malia snapped.

"Lia, that's not what this is. I had my dad do a full background check on him, and he's staying with me so I can keep an eye on him." Stiles sighed putting a comforting hand on Malia's shoulder.

"He's staying with you?" Malia snarled pulling from Stiles' touch.

Stiles let out a heavy sigh.  
"In our spare room, just until he finds a place to stay. And look, I'm not letting him be alpha just yet. He has to earn that."

Malia didn't seem pleased but she dropped it, much to Stiles' surprise.

Stiles watched as she grabbed her bag and walked out if the room.   
Since their break up, things had been complicated between them. Malia had been the one to break it off and yet she seemed bitter about the breakup. She had claimed that it wasn't anything he'd done, that she thought they were better as friends. Stiles had been hurt, but he did his best to stay friendly with her despite his disappointment. That had been just two weeks before Derek took off. That had been a rough month for Stiles. But now the pack was finally settled after the upheaval Derek's disappearance had caused. They let Stiles call the shots. They treated him like he was their alpha, despite him asking them not to. They protected him as if he was, and yet maybe even more so since he was human.

It had been a surprise when the pack had called a meeting telling Stiles they wanted him to take the lead.

"So what's with the sudden meeting? I was just getting to the best part of the new movie I just got, 'American Assassin'." Stiles huffed as he leaned back on his couch, a movie paused on his tv.

"Really?" Lydia sneered at the screen.

"Hey, the lead guy is a great actor, and it's suspenseful. Can we get to the point?" Stiles huffed defensively.

"We've been talking..." Allison started.

"Things have been out of sorts since..." Lydia trailed off, giving Stiles a sympathetic look.

"Since that asshole ditched us." Malia finished angrily, earning an elbow from Isaac.

"We need an alpha." Scott added.

"No, I don't care that he was one before, he almost killed three of us. I refuse to let Peter run this pack." Stiles snapped, standing up. They'd already discussed this.

"We know, and that's why we agreed, as a pack, that you should be alpha." Allison stated proudly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Stiles blinked at the group.

"We aren't going to give you the bite or make you kill an alpha, although, Derek would be a perfect candidate, if he weren't missing." Malia scoffed.

"Malia." Lydia snapped turning to her friend.

"Wait, so you want me to be in charge of the pack?" They had lost their minds.

"Yes." The group answered simultaneously.

"You guys realize I'm a simple human, right?" Stiles frowned at his friends.

"No, you're not. You were just as much an alpha as Derek ever was. You're the one who taught me to control my shift." Liam disagreed.

"Me too." Malia nodded.

"You helped me learn to shift and just to be a werewolf." Scott added.

"You helped figure out I was a banshee." Lydia smiled fondly at Stiles.

"See, Stiles, you've done so much, and you're so smart, and logical. You may not be able to handle a bow and arrow." Allison laughed, remembering the time she tried to teach him, it resulted in a trip to the ER after he shot his own foot.

"But you don't need a bow and arrow, your mind is sharper than any arrow head or any sword. You're a quick thinker. You helped save this pack so many times...You're already an alpha." Allison finished.

"We all think you're the best person to fill Derek's shoes." Isaac smiled sadly at Stiles. Derek's disappearance had been hardest on Isaac. Derek had taken him in and given him a family and a chance at a new life. Isaac was one of the few people Derek was kind to.

Stiles felt his heart drop, he didn't want to fill Derek's shoes, he wanted Derek back. It had been a month since he'd left and as much as Stiles hoped for it, he knew Derek wasn't coming back.

"So, will you be our alpha?" Scott asked with a grin.

"I'm no alpha, but I'll be the backbone of the pack." Stiles nodded. The alpha position was reserved for if Derek ever returned.

"You okay, Stiles?" Gage's voice pulled Stiles from his thoughts.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine." Stiles gave a forced smile.

Gage frowned. It was obvious he didn't believe Stiles. He slipped past Lydia and Scott, making his way to Stiles' side.

"The pack says you took Derek's disappearance pretty hard. Harder than any of them. Is my being here too hard for you?" Gage asked worriedly.

"No, no. Derek's disappearance wasn't hard on me, necessarily, it just frustrated me." Stiles lied.

Gage raised his brows at Stiles with a smirk on his lips.

"They also told me you forget that they can tell when you're lying."

Stiles huffed. "Fine, it was a little hard on me, but it doesn't matter any more. He's been gone three months, I'm over it."

Stiles felt a hand land on his arm as he glanced at the door Malia had gone out.

"If you want to talk, I know I'm the last person you'd want to talk to about Derek but, If I'm gonna be your alpha, I want you to know you can trust me. I'm here for you, no matter what." Gage rubbed his thumb along Stiles' arm gently.

Stiles felt a calmness wash over him. It was an odd feeling, yet it was nice. Maybe he just liked knowing that there was someone he could go to again. Being in charge of a pack of supernatural creatures was no easy task, especially when he was only a human. The weight of it had been crushing, and now, Gage was here to lift some of the weight. Sure he would be calling the shots, and making the plans, and doing the research, but he had someone to share that responsibility with again. Even if it wasn't Derek, Stiles was happy to have an alpha again.


	7. Malia

"This one is nice." Isaac held up his phone to show an apartment for sale.

"Oh I like that, send it to Stiles." Gage smiled at the screen.

The pack was all at Stiles' house, minus Malia. They were helping Stiles look up places for Gage to live.

"This one could be good." Allison handed her phone to Gage who was sitting in a chair next to Stiles' desk.

"I like this one a lot." Gage nodded eagerly.

"I'll send it to Stiles." Allison grinned. She was currently planted on Stiles' bed between Scott and Lydia.

"Is a thousand square feet too small?" Liam asked from the floor. He was propped against the bed next to Issac.

"Yeah, probably." Gage nodded.

"Okay, is thirty two hundred square feet too big?"

"Definitely not." Gage looked up with interest.

"There is a new condo building on the edge of town with one condo left." Liam explained.

"The edge of town? I'd rather not be that far from everyone." Gage frowned.

"Hey, you guys know the old mill factory at the end of my street? Apparently it and the house next to it are for sale." Stiles read from his computer.

"That house was always nice." Lydia agreed.

"Ooh, yikes, nevermind, they're selling the house for three hundred thousand."

"Seriously? Why so much?" Scott frowned.

"Oh, all the fields next to it come with it. So it would be a fifteen hundred square foot house on twelve acres." Stiles answered as he read over the article.

"How much are they selling the factory for?" Isaac asked curiously.

"One thirty nine." Stiles answered.

"Whoa it says here that the guy who owned it let his daughter remodel it because she was going to make it into an industrial house, but she never finished." Stiles read eagerly.

"Could we look at it?" Gage asked. He was very interested.

"Yeah, I'll call." Stiles nodded typing in the number.

-

"This place looks like the dump Derek lived in." Malia sneered at the large brick building.

"It does not." Lydia huffed linking arms with Malia and dragging her after the pack.

"I don't understand why I have to be here." Malia whined as she allowed Lydia to pull her along.

"Because he wanted everyone in the pack to be here, you included." Allison answered falling in step beside Malia and Lydia.

Gage listened to the conversation between the girls. Malia really hated him. He wasn't surprised his brother had gained so many enemies here, he didn't care enough to actually try and make friends. Derek had always had a bad case of survivors guilt, on top of feeling responsible for what happened. He stopped treating himself like a priority and made it a point to keep everyone at a distance, apparently even his own pack.

"Okay, so this is what Mrs. Langley had intended to be the living room. As you can see it's very open. She redid the lighting and put in some outlets. The whole place has been professionally rewired. The lighting in every room is also updated. Now through this door here is the kitchen." The real estate broker walked briskly across the large room. It was brick with a few metal pillars and large windows.

"Here you can see has been renovated completely into a kitchen. Everything is new and in perfect working order." She gestured to a simple yet nice kitchen. It wasn't too small and had plenty of shelving. There was even an island in the middle.

"Now these stairs lead upstairs to the rooms, none of them have closets but they do all have bathrooms. There are eight rooms total with four bathrooms. Each bathroom connects to two rooms. The ninth room was going to be the master bedroom but it was never completed, however it does have it's own working bathroom." The brunette lead the pack into a large room without a door. The bathroom also had no door. On one wall there was what looked like it was going to be a built in bookcase, it was also unfinished. The other bedrooms all had doors but no closets. 

"I'll let you all look around, I'll be outside." The brunette smiled before disappearing down the stairs.

"It's perfect." Gage grinned widely looking around the would be master bedroom.

"Perfect?" Stiles frowned.  
"It's massive. What are you gonna do with all this space? You're one person."

"Yes, but as a group we're eight. Perfect pack house." Gage smiled at the pack.

"You want us to live here with you?" Isaac asked in surprise.

"Of course, I'm a firm believer in a pack being close, and not just physically. It's just at the end of the street, so you're still close to your dad. I know you worry about him. It's plenty big enough." Gage answered looking at Stiles.

"Whoa hold on there." Malia stepped in.

"You're not a part of this pack yet. I'm surprised you're even looking for a place, cause you may not be here in a couple weeks." Malia crossed her arms.

"Malia, enough." Stiles thundered. He was done dealing with her attitude.

The group looked at Stiles in surprise. He rarely used his 'alpha voice' as they called it. And never on the pack.

Malia immediately stepped back from Gage.

"Stiles, it's fine, she has every reason not to trust me." Gage said sticking up for Malia.

"That doesn't give her the right to talk to you like that." Stiles shook his head.

"You all continue discussing the place, Malia, you come with me." Stiles ordered.

Malia obeyed silently.

Once they were downstairs, Stiles turned the sink on to keep from being heard.

"What is with you?" Stiles asked calmly.

"I don't like him." Malia grumbled.

"You don't even know him." Stiles huffed.

"I don't have to, he's a Hale and-"

"He isn't Derek, Malia." Stiles barked cutting her off. He was tired of that comparison.

"But he could be just like him. Do you really want to go through that all again?" Malia spoke almost sympathetically.

"He's not just like him, can't you see that?" Stiles huffed. He was trying to stay calm but Malia was wearing on his patience.

"I need you too look past the fact that he looks exactly like Derek."

"I will when you do." Malia snapped, crossing her arms.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stiles frowned.

"You're feelings for Derek are clouding your judgement. You just see Gage as the Derek you wanted, you're not even being cautious. He's-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. My 'feelings' for Derek?" Stiles scoffed.

"Stiles, don't pretend. We all saw it." Malia rolled her eyes.

"We?"

"Yes, the whole pack."

"I don't have any feelings for Derek, I never did." Stiles argued.

"Oh come on, you took his leaving the hardest, even over Isaac. You acted like he dumped you and then left." Malia stared matter of factly. 

"That is ridiculous. I'm not even humoring this idea." Stiles turned the faucet off and stepped past Malia.

"Stiles, wait." Malia grabbed his arm before he could walk away.

"No, this conversation's over." Stiles snapped. He was pissed.

"Tell Gage I'll be home later." With that Stiles stalked out of the room.

 

Gage looked up to see Malia walk up without Stiles.

"Where's Stiles?" Scott asked before Gage could.

"He left. He said he'd be home later." Malia answered. She sounded defeated.

"What happened?" Allison frowned.

"We argued. I brought up Derek." Malia shrugged, her eyes locked on her shoes.

"Malia, you have to stop bringing him up, do you want Stiles to have another breakdown?" Lydia huffed in frustration.

"What did you say? Derek was brought up before and he didn't leave." Scott frowned.

"I just told him he only trusted Gage cause he saw him as the Derek he wanted." Malia answered quietly.

"Malia." Lydia, Scott and Allison gaped in unison.

"I'm sorry." Malia huffed.

"Gage, you talk to the lady about the paperwork, we'll go check on Stiles." Lydia sighed.

Gage nodded. "If you need me, call."

He wore a concerned expression.   
He was afraid his being here was affecting Stiles. Cora hadn't mentioned Stiles' and Derek's relationship much. In fact, Derek didn't mention Stiles much either, but it was obvious they had spent a lot of time together. He would have to call Cora, maybe she knew more.


	8. Chessboard

"Where could he be?" Gage asked a worried expression embedded into his features.

"We've looked at all his usual spots." Scott shrugged.

It had been hours since Stiles had left the old mill factory. The pack had looked everywhere but he was nowhere. His jeep was parked at the house but he wasn't home.

Gage felt his wolf bristle a bit at the stress and tension in the pack. They were all worried about Stiles. To them he was their alpha. As an alpha himself, Gage felt the urge to protect the pack and right now they needed reassurance and direction.

"Okay, I want a list of every place and person Stiles might go to. I want to know where you have looked and then I want you to look again. Nobody breath a word of this to the sheriff until we know more. He doesn't need the stress, if it's not an emergency. I want everyone to call Stiles' phone. If you need something to take to catch a scent get something from his room." Gage ordered as he pulled his phone out.

"Whoa, who said you were in charge?" Malia snapped.

Gage whipped around, his eyes alpha red. "I did. You may not like me, but this isn't about me, it's about Stiles."

Gage's tone and intense stare caused Malia to back down. He reminded the pack of Derek.

Immediately Gage felt a sense of relief from the pack as they did as he said.

Liam and Isaac went up to Stiles' room. Scott pulled out a map from the kitchen drawer and laid it on the table. Lydia pulled out her phone to call Stiles.

"Okay, so we looked at Deaton's, the sheriff's station, the lacrosse field and the library. Those are his go to places. He wasn't there and hadn't smelled like he'd been there." Scott pointed to the map.

"Who could he have gone to see?" Gage asked glancing over the map.

"Danny, maybe, but that's unlikely." Lydia shook her head.

"Maybe Ethan?" Scott shrugged.

"You two call them." Gage ordered.

"He didn't leave any clues in his room." Liam said coming down the stairs.

"Malia, go check his jeep, make sure there aren't any signs of a struggle, also see if you can smell what he was feeling." Gage looked up at the honey haired girl. He expected a fight but she only nodded before walking out.

"Danny hasn't seen him." Lydia sighed.

"Neither has Ethan." Scott shook his head. Gage could smell the worry coming off of Scott.

"Hey, we'll find him." Gage put a comforting hand on Scott's shoulder.

"My dad hasn't heard anything from him." Allison walked over pushing her phone in her pocket.   
"And he's not answering his phone. It's just going straight to voicemail."

"No sign of struggle in the jeep. The strongest scent I got was anger." Malia walked back in.

"Where else could he have gone?" Gage asked trying to mask his own anxiety that was creeping up. He didn't know the first thing about the pack or how to run it. It wasn't your typical pack, what with a hunteress, and a banshee. Plus he'd really grown to like Stiles over the past couple of days. He'd been understanding and caring despite the fact he was the twin brother of the guy who abandoned him and his pack.

"Derek would know." Isaac mumbled sadly.

Gage frowned in confusion.

"Derek knew Stiles better than any of us, even me half the time. He knew how Stiles' brain worked. He used to say Stiles was his chessboard. He had to know what Stiles was gonna do before he did it." Scott explained, his tone full of disappointment.

"And he always did." Lydia nodded sadly.

"Well Derek's not here, Gage is." Malia snapped. Gage looked at her in surprise.

"The only other person he would possibly talk to is Peter. He used to stop in, asking for any update on Derek. There never was any, so he stopped going. Maybe he went to see him." Malia shrugged tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Stiles hates Peter." Liam frowned.

"Malia, call Peter. I'm gonna call Cora." Gage said pulling back from the table.

"Gage, how's life in BH?" Cora answered.

"Complicated." Gage sighed.

"Uh oh, what kind of mess did Derek leave behind?" Cora huffed. She'd been expecting this call.

"A messy one. Look I need to ask you something, it's about Derek and Stiles." Gage started pacing the living room.

"Oh boy."

"It seems like they spent a lot of time together, yet, everyone says they hated each other. But from everything I can gather, they were close and Stiles seems like the type of person Derek would appreciate. What am I missing?" Gage frowned as he spoke.

"I guess being his twin, I shouldn't be surprised you're so confused. You know Derek better than anyone else, however, Stiles falls in close second. Derek would never admit it, probably not even to himself, but Stiles was the only true person he trusted. He didn't hesitate to call him when he needed someone. And Stiles was always there. No matter how much they fought or argued, they were there for each other, without fail. Seeing them together reminded me of Laura and I. We loved to hate each other but we also loved each other. Stiles wasn't afraid to stand up to Derek, or correct him, or yell at him for being reckless. Stiles was the only one who yelled at Derek for being reckless. Stiles was the only one who yelled at Derek, ever." Cora chuckled at the memory.

"I saw Derek worry for Stiles like he used to worry for you and I when we were younger. I think the fact that Stiles wouldn't hesitate to put himself in danger to save others drove Derek crazy. He had that whole protect the pack thing, but with Stiles, it was stronger. I guess having a human in the pack would be stressful." Cora sighed before continuing.

"Stiles was relentless. He refused to let Derek accept defeat, even when Boyd and Erica were killed. I was there when Boyd died. So was Stiles. I had never seen any positive physical contact between them before outside of saving each other. But in that moment, when Boyd died in Derek's arms, Stiles reached out to Derek. I saw the hesitation. No one else would have dared touch Derek. He would have probably snapped. But Stiles was careful. He slowly placed his hand on Derek's shoulder. I waited for Derek to pull away or snap at Stiles but nothing. He didn't move, he didn't speak. He let Stiles comfort him. That's when I knew Derek truly trusted him. The two never spoke of that moment. I really thought Stiles was breaking down his walls and if not, he was at least slipping through the cracks." Cora's tone was concerned.

"But then...He just left. I don't know how Stiles truly felt towards Derek but I know there was an unspoken bond between them."

Gage looked at the pack to see if anyone had been listening, they hadn't surprisingly.

"Malia and Stiles haven't been seeing eye to eye and they got into it earlier. She mentioned Derek, and pissed Stiles off enough for him to take off. He said he'd be back later, but that was four hours ago. The pack treats him like their alpha. They started to unravel and I stepped in, but I'm not Derek, I don't know where Stiles is. They have looked at all the places they would think for him to go. They've called everyone they could think to call. Even Peter hasn't heard from him. Isaac made a comment...He said Derek would know where he'd gone. Scott said Derek called him his chessboard. He knew what Stiles was gonna do before he did it. I can't do that, Cor, I don't know everyone like Derek did." Gage sighed, frustration evident in his tone.

"Chessboard." Cora said thoughtfully.

"What?"

"That's it, the chessboard." Cora exclaimed.

"Can you be a little more specific? What about the chessboard, what chessboard?" Gage huffed. Cora definitely favored Derek in the sense that she was too cryptic for Gage's taste.

"A while back something happened to Stiles. He was leaving us clues to help him. One was his chessboard. He labelled the different pieces with all of our names, anyway Derek was the king. He was trying to to tell us he was at Derek's loft. Maybe he went there. After all, the fight was about Derek, right?" Cora explained.

"Nobody's looked there. Cor, you're a genius, thank you. I'll call you later." Gage hung up the phone quickly, turning to the pack.

"Who knows where Derek's loft is?"


	9. Did you care about him?

Stiles pulled the heavy metal door of Derek's old loft open. It still looked the same. The one small couch sat in the middle of the room with a simple coffee table. The taller table they used for pack meetings sat untouched in front of the large windows.

Stiles walked over to see the dust had collected in a thin layer over the wooden top. He recalled the last meeting that had taken place at the table. They had been discussing how to handle a group of Fae passing through. One of them had thought it would be funny to cast a small spell on Scott, causing him to lose his werewolf senses. Derek wanted to kidnap the Fae who had cast the spell and force them to undo it, Stiles thought it would be better to arrange a meeting with their king to discuss the issues calmly.

"I'm not going to arrange any kind of meeting. The Fae who did this is going to undo it, why waste time?" Derek snapped crossing his arms as he spoke to Stiles.

Stiles rolled his eyes, "would you like to start a war with magic wielding creatures? Cause I don't."

Derek narrowed his eyes at the human, "Scott has lost all of his werewolf senses, as the alpha I have to fix this and I am not going to bargain with someone who did this maliciously."

Stiles and Derek had continued to argue until Stiles gave up.

"Fine, you can count me out though, I refuse to be a part of this 'plan' of yours," Stiles threw his hands up in frustration.

Derek raised his brows at Stiles, "it's not like you to sit out of any plan, whether you agree or not," Derek commented.

"Like I said, I don't want to start a war with magic wielding creatures," Stiles snapped.

The truth was Stiles had had his own plan. He'd managed to arrange a meeting with their king. He claimed to be there on behalf of the alpha. The king had been very understanding and appreciative of the civil way the Hale pack had handled the acts of a rebellious teenager. The king undid the spell without hesitation.

When Derek had found out, he'd been pissed that Stiles went behind his back. Three days later, Derek left.

-

Scott stopped in front of the large metal door. He gave Gage a nod, letting him know this was it.

Gage could smell that Stiles was inside. He smelled of the familiar sadness he'd smelt like the morning before. He hesitantly reached for the door. What was he going to say to Stiles? He was once again reminded how unprepared he was to lead this pack.

-

Stiles touched the stool he had always sat on. He had always sat beside Derek. The pack had treated him like he was Derek's adviser. If Derek had ever actually listened to Stiles, he could have understood the comparison, but Derek disagreed with Stiles ninety-nine percent of the time.

Stiles turned, looking out the large windows. The moon was out now and it was shining brightly through the room. How long had he been here? It only felt like maybe thirty minutes but the sun hadn't even started to set when he'd arrived.

The sound of the door opening caused Stiles to jump. He looked over to see the familar dark haired alpha step inside.

Stiles was hit with a wave of betrayal. That wasn't Derek. Derek would never walk through that door again.

Stiles turned away hoping to hide the look of sadness that he knew was evident on his face.

"Stiles," Gage's tone was gentle. It sounded foreign hearing Derek's voice speak to him like that.

Stiles didn't look away from the window.

"Are you okay?" Gage asked stepping closer to the human.

Stiles turned to Gage. He opened his mouth to respond but he felt his throat tighten. Instead, he dropped his eyes to the floor and shrugged.

Gage now stood on front of Stiles. He reached for Stiles' chin, lifting gently.

"It's okay to miss him," Gage said, his tone sympathetic.

"I don't know why I do," Stiles spoke quietly.

"From what I've gathered, you two had a close connection," Gage dropped his hand to Stiles' shoulder.

"We didn't," Stiles disagreed. "he couldn't have hated me more. We fought all the time. I'm almost positive I'm the reason he left. It hurts. I don't know why, but it does."

"Did you care about him?" Gage asked.

Stiles nodded, "of course, he was my alpha."

"Did you care about him as more than just your alpha? Did you consider him a friend?" Gage pressed.

Stiles frowned a bit, "yes, he was like family to me. I didn't view him any differently than I did Scott or Lydia," Stiles answered honestly.

"Then I think you know why it hurts so much," Gage squeezed Stiles' shoulder gently.

Stiles felt tears prick his eyes. He didn't know if he was sad or mad.

"Hey, it's okay," Gage sensed Stiles sadness mix with anger.

"I thought I was past feeling like this. I thought I was over it," Stiles frowned, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"Nobody expects you to be over it, the pack knows you're hurting," Gage stepped in towards Stiles more.

"They don't understand why I'm so upset about him leaving. They think I hated him. Malia gets mad because I am so hurt by it. Scott, Allison, and Lydia pity me. Isaac and Liam claim to understand, and maybe on some level they do because they are upset too but...they're his beta's, they're expected to be upset. I'm not even a werewolf, I shouldn't care," Stiles felt the tears threatening to fall.

Gage pulled Stiles into him, wrapping his arms around the human, "it's okay to be upset and hurt. You trusted him and he let you down. He left without a word, and left you in charge of his pack. You have every right to be mad and hurt and frustrated, and you have every right to miss him. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

Stiles stood tense in Gage's arms. Derek had never hugged him before. But this wasn't Derek, this was Gage. Stiles relaxed a bit as he carefully returned the hug.

"I know this probably doesn't help but, I'm here, and no matter what happens I'm not leaving. Even if the pack doesn't want me as their alpha, if you need someone, I'm here. I promise," Gage held Stiles tightly. He felt Stiles relax into him further. It was something Laura used to do to calm him and Derek. Something about being in the arms of your alpha was calming. Gage had used the trick often on his pack back in New York. It worked like a charm. Sometimes it took others longer to give in, but Gage wouldn't let go until they hugged him back or their scent changed.

Stiles was still a bit tense and his scent hadn't yet changed so Gage held him closer. He wasn't sure if it would work quite the same since Stiles was a human, but he tried anyway.

After a moment it was like a switch flipped. Stiles melted into Gage's chest, burying his head into his neck.

"There you go, I've got you," Gage whispered gently. He took in Stiles scent, something about it was calming to him, even despite the sadness and frustration dripping off of him.


	10. Tattoo

Stiles pushed open the door to the sheriff's station, "Hey, dad, I brought you dinner."

"Hey Stiles," Noah gave his son a nod. 

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Stiles asked setting down the brown paper bag of food.

"Is that Hardees?" Noah asked excitedly, ignoring Stiles' question.

"Yes, but you have to tell me what is wrong first," Stiles snatched the bag back up before his dad could grab it.

Noah let out a sigh, "I just lost another deputy. Alaina quit. She said she took a job here cause nothing too crazy was supposed to happen in a small town. I'm telling you Stiles with the way things are going, I'm not gonna have enough people to staff this place. I'm already covering two extra shifts this week. Now that Derek is gone and word has started to get out, you kids have had your hands full. I'm afraid it's only going to get worse," Noah pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed a file he had been looking through.

"Dad, we have Gage now, that should help," Stiles felt bad that his dad was now caught in the middle of the supernatural like he was, but it was easier to keep him safe when he knew what he was up against, and Stiles wasn't having to lie to him constantly anymore. His dad didn't believe him at first, but it didn't take long for there to be enough evidence that he couldn't deny the truth. He quickly became an asset to the pack once he had accepted that his son was running with literal werewolves. 

"Speaking of, Is this your way of telling me you two are dating?" Noah asked glancing at the bag still in Stiles' hands.

"What? No. This is my way of telling you Gage bought the old mill factory and wants the pack to move in," Stiles shook his head.

"The whole pack? I guess that includes you, huh?" Noah said thoughtfully as he opened the burger Stiles had handed him.

"If you need me to stay home, I can tell him no. He just relies on me to help him since I Know the pack and town better than he does. Plus I'm this buffer between him and the pack. They keep associating him with Derek," Stiles shrugged.

"Stiles, I'll be fine. I'm rarely home anyway, and when I am you're usually out with the pack," Noah shook his head as he shoved another bite of burger in his mouth.

"I'll still meal prep for you for the week, so don't think you get to eat Hardees all the time. This is a treat," Stiles pointed a fry at his father.

"Which one of us is the son here?" Noah snickered.

Stiles grinned at his dad. He would miss the guy but he had a point, they rarely saw each other at home anyway.

"Well I'm supposed to go help Gage pick out a dining room table. Apparently he expects us all to eat together once a week," Stiles shoved the last couple fries in his mouth before standing from the chair opposite of his dad's desk.

"Okay son, just do me a favor and be careful. I know you say he's not Derek and that's fine, but remember how upset you were when Derek left...be mindful that Gage is related to him and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could disappear too."

Stiles dropped his head, "I know, trust me, I don't expect it of him, but I'm prepared for if he does," Stiles' tone was sad earning a sympathetic smile from his dad.

-

"Come in." Gage called to the door of his bedroom where Stiles had knocked. 

"Hey, you ready?" Stiles asked popping his head into the spare room where Gage was currently sifting through a bag of the few clothes he'd brought.

"Yeah, just let me toss on a shirt real quick," Gage nodded.

Stiles noticed how similar Derek and Gage really were. They were identical even beneath the clothing. '

Gage turned to his side table grabbing his phone as he slid a simple black shirt on. Stiles felt his heart drop and his face pale; sitting in the middle of Gage's back between his shoulder blades was a black triskele tattoo. 

Suddenly Stiles was pissed, "Are you fucking kidding me right now?"   
Suddenly Stiles was pissed, "Are you fucking kidding me right now?" 

Gage turned then with a confused frown, "What's wrong?" 

"Do you think I'm an idiot? Did you seriously think I wouldn't notice?" Stiles snapped, he felt his hands shaking.

"What-" Gage was cut off before he could ask Stiles what he was talking about.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here and claiming to be someone else. And using your own brothers name to boot, what the hell is wrong with you?" Stiles was seething. He felt tears prick his eyes.

"Stiles, what are you talking about?" Gage took a couple steps, closing the space between him and the human.

"Don't touch me," Stiles growled pulling away from Gage's outstretched arm.

"Stiles, please," Gage pleaded gently. He hated to see the tears pooling in Stiles' whiskey brown eyes.

"Your fucking tattoo, Derek." Stiles spat the name like it was poison.

"Derek?" Gage furrowed his brows.

"Don't play stupid, it's insulting," Stiles snapped. He was so pissed he was starting to feel dizzy. Don't have a panic attack right now. He thought, talk about bad timing.

"Stiles, listen to me, I know what you're thinking. I should have told you before, and I'm sorry... Derek and I have matching tattoos, we got them together when we turned sixteen," Gage explained. He held his hands up as he walked slowly towards Stiles.

"Don't fucking lie to me," Stiles swore. He didn't know what to believe. How could he be sure that he wasn't Derek lying to him?

"I'm not, I swear, I would never lie to you. I know how this looks but I promise you..." Gage took another step towards Stiles.

"I don't know that I can trust you," Stiles shook his head backing away again.

"Look, let's do this, okay, let's call Cora," Gage suggested holding up his phone. He dialed his sister's number praying that she answered.

"You realize I have a life too right?" Cora answered in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, Cor, sorry to bother you but, Stiles is here. He wants to talk to you," Gage gave a nod towards Stiles.

"Okay?" Cora sounded confused.

"You're on speaker." 

"Hey Stiles, what's up?" Cora asked bored.

"Why didn't you tell me Derek had a twin?" Stiles asked suddenly curious as to why it never came up.

"He asked me not to mention it. He said it would be better if no one knew," Cora answered simply.

"Have you talked to Derek?" Stiles found himself asking questions he didn't know he'd had.

"Not in a few weeks," Cora answered honestly.

"Do you know why he left?" 

"I'm sorry Stiles, I don't. He won't tell me where he is, why he's there, why he left, when he left, nothing. He merely texts to let me know he's alive. I found out from Malia that he left."

Stiles felt his throat closing slightly.

"Do you think it's safe to trust Gage?" Stiles asked not looking away from the same sage green eyes Derek used to glare at him with. 

"Yes. He's not nearly as broken as Derek, Cora answered. "what is this about, Stiles?"

"What is one physical difference between Gage and Derek?" Stiles asked not answering Cora's question and not looking away from Gage. 

Gage remained calm. He not once rolled his eyes or huffed impatiently. 

"The most obvious one is Gage's glasses, he uses them for reading," Cora answered easily.

Gage nodded silently. He opened his bag and pulled out his glasses case. He slipped on the black frames.

Stiles felt himself relax a little. He'd never seen Derek with glasses and he'd seen Derek reading plenty of times.

"Did you know they have identical tatoos?" Stiles asked next.

"Yeah, the triskele on the back. They got those when they were sixteen. It means-"

"Alpha, beta, omega, I know what it means." Stiles cut in.

"You sound stressed," Cora noted Stiles' uneven tone.

"I'm fine. I'll let you and Gage talk," Stiles responded before walking off.

"Thanks cor, call ya later." Gage hung up before hurrying after Stiles, "Stiles wait."

Gage could smell the frustration and sadness on Stiles. It made Gage feel bad.

"What?" Stiles sighed turning around as Gage reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Is this too hard for you? My being here? I don't want to continue to remind you of Derek, especially when it elicits that reaction," Gage spoke sympathetically.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted and I accused you of lying. I shouldn't have done that. I get on everyone else about comparing you to Derek and I'm the number one culprit," Stiles sighed.

"Hey, don't apologize, I get it. I forgot we had the matching tatoos otherwise I would have warned you," Gage let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry that Derek made you so distrusting."

Stiles shook his head, "I've always been dustrusting. He just made it worse." Stiles couldn't allow Derek to take all the blame, he had his issues too, and they weren't all caused by Derek.

Sensing Stiles' guilt Gage stepped in towards the brunette, "let's go pick out that table and then let me take you to dinner. We can talk more then," Gage offered.

Stiles smiled with a chuckle, "You're so understanding and nice, I don't know how to handle it."

Gage grinned, wrapping his arm around Stiles' shoulder.

"Well if you keep smiling about it, I'll be forced to continue, I much prefer your smile to your tears."


	11. The one you desire most

The old mill factory was cold looking on the outside but the inside was warm and inviting. It had been a week since Gage had bought the place. He and the pack worked diligently throughout the week to piece it all together and move everything in.

"Hale, you ready?" Stiles asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah," Gage nodded setting down his glass of water. His tone was calm but he felt anxious. This was going to be his first run in with a supernatural threat since he arrived.

A succubus was luring men in and draining them of their energy landing them in the hospital.

Stiles had insisted on going with Gage and while Gage didn't want Stiles to get hurt, he agreed to let him go.

-

"Remember she's a succubus, she's going to try and mesmerize you, don't kiss her, " Stiles spoke as Gage parked his charger at the edge of the woods.

Gage only nodded. He was doing his best to keep himself calm.

Stiles felt a heaviness on his shoulders he couldn't shake off. It made him uneasy, which was odd cause he felt fine otherwise. A succubus was barely a threat in comparison to the other things they had dealt with. 

The human glanced at Gage to see his shoulders rigid, and his jaw clenched, "Hey, we got this," Stiles spoke reassuringly. He cautiously slipped his hand into Gage's. The alpha didn't look away from the thick of the trees but he immediately squeezed Stiles' hand tightly. 

Stiles, surprised by the gesture, frowned at the alpha. He wasn't sure why he'd reached for Gage's hand, perhaps in hope's of calming him? It had kind of just happened but he never expected Gage to react the way he had.

"Are you okay?" Stiles asked quietly.

Gage sighed, "I just don't want to let you or the pack down. If anything happens to you while we're out here, the pack would never forgive me, and I'd never forgive myself."

Stiles gaped at the werewolf next to him.

"This is the first time I've had to actually be an alpha here. If I mess this up, I'm no better than Derek in the pack's eyes," Gage admitted. He hadn't planned on telling Stiles that but he felt drawn to confide in him. It was a strange feeling that he hadn't felt before.

Stiles stopped walking, "You're really worried about disappointing the pack?"

Gage looked at Stiles for the first time since they had started walking, "Of course, I know they don't see me as their alpha, but I see them as my pack."

Stiles nodded understandingly.

Suddenly a scent caught Gage's attention.

"I smell someone." Gage released Stiles' hand before continuing to walk again. He sniffed the air but couldn't get a sense of direction.

"I can't tell-" Gage stopped mid sentence as he turned to see Stiles locked in a kiss with a tall dark haired woman.

Gage snarled before instantly lunging at the succubus.

The woman released Stiles grabbing Gage by his throat before he could reach her. She slung him into a nearby tree. He felt at least three ribs snap.

"Werewolf," The woman sneered at Gage.

"Succubus," Gage spat back as he pulled himself to his feet.

"You're the one..." The succubus cocked her head slightly at Gage before looking at Stiles who looked confused and a bit dazed.

"The one what?" Gage snapped. What was she talking about?

"He loves you," The woman grinned devilishly.

Gage frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care. You've been draining men around here," Gage growled.

"I have indeed, and they've been delicious. I've never tasted a werewolf before. I only wonder if you desire him as well," She took a step towards Gage.

"Don't come any closer you snake," Gage was trying to come up with a plan of attack that wouldn't get him caught under her spell, the same spell Stiles seemed to be under.

"That's no way to talk to a lady. My name is Aleera," The succubus took another step towards Gage.

"You're no lady, you're nothing but a demon," Gage growled, getting in the position to attack.

"Says the one with blood red eyes," Aleera sneered.

Stiles suddenly stumbled against a nearby tree before sliding to the ground.

"What have you done to him?" Gage snarled, his wolf desperate to help Stiles.

"I simply gave him the kiss of death." Aleera smiled sweetly. It made Gage sick.

"How do you undo it?" Gage demanded.

"I cannot, only the one he truly desires can." Aleera answered simply.

"You think it's me," Gage said, realizing what she had been talking about when she said Stiles loved him.

"I saw your face in his head. How do you think I came to look the way I do. Notice my long raven hair, and the pale green of my eyes. The dimple set deeply in my cheek." Aleera grinned taking another step forward.

"You change your appearance?" Gage asked surprised.

"Would you like to see what I would look like as the one you desire?" Aleera asked sweetly.

"No," Gage snapped, "I would like you to fix him."

"Only the kiss of whom he desires most can undo my spell." The devilish grin appeared on her face once again.

Gage felt himself panic as Stiles slumped all the way to the ground, his head hitting the stump of the tree. Gage smelled the blood though he couldn't see it.

That was enough to send Gage's wolf into a full on frenzy. He rushed Aleera, catching her off guard. He slammed her backwards into the ground. He slashed her throat open causing blood to gush from the wound. Within seconds her fighting body went limp beneath Gage.

Pulling himself back he rushed to Stiles. He scooped the human into his arms, hurriedly taking him to his car.

-

Derek burst into Deatons with Stiles still unconscious.

"Lay him in here, quickly." Deaton motioned for Gage to follow him. He had called the Vet on his way.

"She kissed him and he started to get really weak. She said it could only be undone by the one he desires most. She thought it was me but..." Gage clenched his jaw. He knew it couldn't be him. Stiles barely knew him. It had to be Derek Aleera had seen in Stiles' mind.

"He hit his head on a tree root. I tried to wake him a few times but he wouldn't respond," Gage held Stiles' hand tightly as Deaton looked him over.

Deaton listened to his heartbeat and lungs, everything seemed strong. He examined the injury on his head, it looked worse than it was. Head injuries had a tendency to do that.

"He seems fine, though I sense a strange feeling coming off of him," Deaton frowned at Stiles.

"Strange how? What do you mean?" Gage asked, his tone stressed.

"I'm not sure," Deaton grabbed a small device that looked like a remote controller. He waved it over Stiles. The device beeped loudly.

Deatons eyes rose in surprise.

"What? What is it?" Gage asked sensing Deatons surprise.

"Stiles has a spark," Deaton answered setting the device down.

"What do you mean?" Gage frowned at the druid.

"That device reads electrical currents. Stiles' are very strong. I always knew he had a strange connection to the supernatural, that's because he is supernatural. He has a spark within him. If his spark was to be ignited, he would be a druid, like myself," Deaton explained.

"Wait, like an emissary?" Gage asked. Could that explain why he was so comfortable with Stiles?

"Indeed," The vet nodded.

"Earlier in the woods. I was feeling anxious. He took my hand and I felt this sense of... calm," Gage explained.

"Hmmm, sounds like his spark has reached out to you," Deaton hummed thoughtfully.

"What does that mean?" Gage pressed.

"A spark can often be an anchor for an alpha. I believe his spark reached out to you in your time of stress and anchored you. If this is the case, his touch is an anchor for your wolf," Deaton spoke as he cleaned the wound on Stiles' head.

"Stiles is my anchor?" Gage asked, concern evident in his tone.

"You seem alarmed," Deaton noted.

"That usually comes with a deeper connection I thought?"

"It can, but you're his alpha and he's been your guide, that is a strong connection all on its own," Deaton answered.

Just then Stiles stirred awake.

"Stiles," Gage's tone was filled with relief.

"What happened?" Stiles sat up glancing around.

"The succubus got to you," Gage answered in shame.

"But I'm okay," Stiles frowned.

"The kiss of a succubus can be undone by the kiss of the one you desire most or her demise. Gage killed her releasing you and all her other victims," Deaton answered.

Stiles turned to Gage, "Are you okay?"

Gage nodded, "I'm just glad you are. I turned my back for a second and-"

"Hey, it's okay. You handled it," Stiles placed a hand on Gage's arm, relaxing the alpha instantly.

Deaton eyed Stiles carefully. Perhaps his spark was already ignited.


	12. A better Derek

Gage opened the door to the pack house. He stepped inside and waited for the barrage of questions. What he didn't expect was to be met with silence.

"Hey, guys," Stiles grinned, his tone as chipper as usual. He gave nothing away of the past hour's events; the only evidence was the cut on Stiles' head which couldn't be seen under the chestnut strands.

"What did you guys do? I got a call from my mom a few minutes ago, the succubus victims all woke up." Scott looked from his best friend to the alpha.

"Gage killed her," Stiles answered with a nonchalant shrug. He smiled at the twin. 

"That was quick work, you guys weren't even gone two hours," Allison crossed her arms. 

"I'm sorry, should that have taken longer?" Stiles snarked, looking to the huntress. The packs attitude towards Gage was beginning to really bother him. It should have been obvious by now that Gage wasn't Derek.

"Derek usually assessed the situation first before making a snap decision." Scott frowned slightly at Stiles.

"Yeah, well Derek was a shit alpha. Gage actually listens to Stiles so obviously something was handled properly, for once," Malia snapped.

"Derek wasn't a shit alpha, he did everything he could to protect this pack," Isaac argued. It was obvious he didn't like when anyone bad mouthed Derek, despite everything, Derek was still the one who turned him, and he would always remain loyal.

 "I didn't have anything to do with this. I just tagged along. Gage handled it, all on his own," Stiles said as he shrugged out of his jacket.

"Is that blood?" Liam asked noticing the red stain on Stiles' hood.

"The succubus threw me into a tree," Stiles shrugged, "Nothing serious." 

Gage looked at Stiles with curious eyes. He managed to tell the lie effortlessly, his heart didn't skip or sputter. 

Lydia frowned, "That's it." 

The pack turned to the strawberry blonde with confused looks.

"Whenever Derek was alpha, his number one priority was protecting everyone, not handling the problem. By the time he had everyone safe the threat was gone again. Derek couldn't actually handle the threat because he didn't allow others to get hurt. Stiles would never have gotten hurt if it had been Derek with him, but the succubus would also still be alive. Derek wasn't a shit alpha, he was a different alpha," Lydia explained.

Malia snorted, "Sounds like he had his priorities wrong."

"What is your problem? You didn't even have an emotional attachment to Derek, why do you hate him so much?" Stiles snapped. He didn't know why he was feelings so irritable about the topic, usually he could ignore it.

"You're not even a werewolf, why did you have such an emotional attachment to Derek? You shouldn't have given two shits about him. Yet you still defend him," Malia snapped back.

"Because, I trusted him. I don't do that easily," Stiles answered harshly.

"You sure trusted Gage easily," Malia sneered.

"Look, you don't have to like him, but he's done nothing wrong and he's an actual alpha who wants to help us, so show a little respect." Stiles snapped once more before stepping past her and further into the house. 

The pack gaped after Stiles. He wasn't one to lash out and yet he'd done so multiple times to the pack since Gage had shown up. He had only acted like that for the week or two right after Derek had left. It seemed Gage being there had stirred up some of that animosity.

"Malia, Stiles has been pretty tense lately, maybe lighten up a bit," Scott spoke gently.

"It just bugs me that he acts like I have no reason to be upset with Derek," Malia huffed.

"Maybe we shouldn't bring Derek up, he's not here anymore so we should act like it." Lydia suggested.

"Thank you, Gage, for taking care of the succubus," Isaac said turning to Gage.

"You guys aren't mad that Stiles got hurt?" Gage asked raising his brows.

"He's okay, that's all that matters." Scott smiled encouragingly.

"Malia, can we talk for a minute?" Gage asked looking at the honey haired girl.

Malia followed Gage outside. 

"Look, I'm sorry about what my brother did to you guys but-"

"Don't," Malia cut in, "It's not what he did to me or the pack, it's what he did to Stiles."

"What do you mean?" Gage cocked his head in question.

"Stiles obviously had feelings for Derek. My guess is Derek realized and freaked out, that's why he left. And yet Stiles is still so hung up on him that he is ready to let you lead the pack simply because you're a better Derek," Malia explained crossing her arms over her chest. She reminded Gage of a child telling on a sibling.

Gage frowned thoughtfully at the werewolf, "You truly think Stiles had feelings for Derek romantically?" 

"It was painfully obvious, to me anyway," Malia shrugged.

Gage recalled Aleera mentioning Stiles being in love with him, he knew that wasn't true and had guessed it had been Derek she'd seen in his head. Now Malia was saying how obvious it was that Stiles felt something for Derek. Was that why Stiles had been so sad about Derek? Was that why Stiles had been so willing to let Gage be alpha? Was that why Derek had left?

"Do you think the two of them ever discussed it?" Gage asked.

"Not likely. Stiles would have been a lot more torn up. Besides Derek doesn't talk about his feelings, ever," Malia shook her head.

Gage only nodded.

 

-

 

Gage dialed his brother's number and waited for it to go to voicemail.

"Hey, Der, so I haven't heard from you in a while. I wasn't actually going to call but I just thought it would be nice to talk to you, I know you're kind of 'off the map' right now but I just wanted to see how you're doing. Feel free to call, if you want to," Gage hung up the phone. He knew Derek wouldn't call him. It had been several months since he had spoken to his brother on the phone. Whatever Derek was doing he wanted to keep it private.

Gage dialed Cora next. 

"Gage, I told you if you got Stiles killed not to call me," Cora answered.

"Hey, Cor, nah, he's still alive," Gage chuckled.

"That's good news, I suppose. I didn't expect to hear from you unless things went bad, however you don't sound like things went bad," Cora pointed out.

"No, they went well, I handled the succubus, Stiles only got a mild concussion," Gage chuckled again.

"Derek would be proud."

Gage could hear the smile in Cora's tone.

"Speaking of," Gage cleared his throat, "have you heard from him?" 

"Not in a little while, no, why?"

"I just really want to know why he left. The pack seemed to really care about him, surely he had a good reason, right?" Gage frowned as he spoke.

"There's no telling with Derek. All I know is he is taking care of some loose ends, whatever that means. I would have thought it would have something to do with the Argents, but Peter killed Kate, And Derek was working alongside Chris before he left. He wouldn't give me anymore information," Cora sighed. She obviously wanted to know what Derek was up to as well.

"Do you think it had to do with Stiles?" Gage asked cautiously. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Like do you think maybe Stiles had feelings for Derek beyond their limited friendship and maybe that's why Derek left?" Gage asked nonchalantly.

"That a very specific reason. What do you know?" Cora questioned her brother.

"Malia mentioned how she thought that was why Derek left. She thinks Stiles has, or had, feelings for Derek, and that he found out and took off," Gage explained.

"It's possible I guess, but I spent a lot of time with Derek and Stiles and I don't think Stiles had any kind of feelings for Derek, not romantically anyway. They had a strange... I use the word friendship loosely, but it was never anything more. If he did have feelings for Derek, he didn't make it obvious at all," Cora said thoughtfully.

"Well, whatever the reason, I hope he comes back soon, the pack deserves an explanation," 

Once Gage hung up, he laid back on his bed, thinking about what Malia had said about Stiles letting him be alpha because he was a better Derek. Gage hoped that wasn't true because that meant Stiles might develop feelings for him, and Cora had specifically told him Stiles was off limits. But why? He recalled the conversation before he left New York.

 

"Now Lydia comes across as a girly girl and she is, but she's also a badass so don't treat her like she's fragile. Allison can probably kill you before you can shift so don't piss her off. Scott isn't as smart as he looks so make sure to explain things to him thoroughly. Malia hates that she is a Hale so approach her gently. Liam has a temper so be careful with him. Isaac is actually super sensitive so don't be too harsh on him. And last but not least, Stiles, he's your 'go to' guy. He's only human but he's your greatest asset, use him. One other thing, Liam, Stiles, and Malia are completely off limits, so don't even consider it."

"Malia is our cousin, Cora," Gage frowned as he tossed the last of his bags into the back of his charger. 

"Exactly," Cora nodded.

"Okay, have you talked enough? Can I go?" Gage looked at his little sister with a smirk.

"Yes, but remember everything I told you, it's super important."

 

Gage frowned at the ceiling. He had been in such a hurry to get on the road he hadn't even questioned why Liam and Stiles were off limits. Liam was obviously much too young and Malia his cousin, but why was Stiles off limits? 

He typed up the question, on his phone, to Cora. She obviously had a reason for saying that.

"He's human, he would become nothing but a liability and an easy target, especially for an alpha."

Gage put his phone on his side table and stared back at the ceiling. But Stiles wasn't technically human, Deaton had said he had a spark, and every alpha wanted a spark.


	13. Picture

Gage knocked gently on Stiles' bedroom door. 

"Yeah," Stiles called out.

"It's Gage, can I come in?" The alpha asked through the door.

"It's open," Stiles answered.

Gage stepped into Stiles' room. It resembled his room back home some, with a mets poster and an All Time Low poster on the wall, and a picture of his mom and dad, him and scott, him and Lydia, and him and Malia on his dresser. A new addition to the picture was a group picture that hadn't been there back at his dad's house. It was a group picture, in it was Isaac, Allison, Derek, Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and an asian girl he didn't recognize. 

"That was the pack several months back, before Malia and Liam," Stiles spoke from his computer chair, noticing Gage's attention on the photo.

"Who is this in the front?" Gage asked pointing to the black haired girl standing next to Scott.

"Kira," Stiles sighed, "She was a Kitsune."

"What happened to her?" Gage looked at Stiles curiously.

Stiles frowned down at his hands, "She died, saving me."

"Saving you? From what?" 

"I guess Cora never told you about the Nogitsune?" Stiles asked looking up at Gage.

The alpha shook his head with a frown.

"I was possessed by an evil spirit known as the Nogitsune, it's a Japanese spirit of chaos. It made me do...unspeakable things. I hurt a lot of people," Stiles dropped his head in shame and lowered his voice, "I killed a lot of people,"

Gage took a seat on Stiles' bed, but remained quiet.

"The pack managed to separate me from the spirit, but it took on the shape of me. There can only be one though right? So I was dying, slowly. We attacked, Kira managed to kill an oni, which the nogitsune had enslaved, she didn't make it. In the end Allison discovered that she managed to kill it with one of Allison's silver arrow's. In the end we managed to outsmart the nogitsune and using Kira's blade we killed it. We lost Aiden in the process. He was Ethan's twin brother, and Lydia's boyfriend. They weren't a part of the pack but they agreed to help. Derek allowed Ethan to join the pack but I think Ethan can't help but resent me. Not that I can blame him, I resent myself for his and Kira's death," Stiles slumped in his seat.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea, neither Cora nor Derek ever mentioned anything about that," Gage put a hand on Stiles' shoulder, "You can't blame yourself, you never meant for them to be hurt, you were possessed," 

"How often did you and Derek talk while he was here?" Stiles asked looking up at Derek's twin.

"Once a week at least," Gage answered sadly. He missed his brother. After the fire, the two of them weren't as close. Derek shut himself off from Gage and Laura. Gage knew it was because he had felt guilty for the fire. Once Laura had died and Derek came after her, the two brother's only had each other. They spoke every week. Derek started to let Gage back in and the two started to grow closer again, until Derek went off the map. He left without a word to anyone. When he finally messaged Cora, he had only said he needed some time and he had some loose ends to tie up. He wouldn't answer any questions or calls. Every once in a while Derek would send Cora a text letting her know he was still alive, but that was it. 

"He talked to you about us?" 

"Some," Gage nodded.

"Do you have any idea of why he might have left?" Stiles asked, watching Gage carefully.

"I don't. He stopped calling once he left here. He only ever texts Cora to let her know he's alive. We used to talk every Thursday. I called the Thursday after he left and he didn't answer. I called a few days in a row until we found out he left. I continued to call every Thursday to leave him a message, I finally stopped a couple weeks ago. It's hard to be so distant from him," Gage admitted.

"Were you two always so close?" Stiles wanted to let Gage know it was okay to talk about Derek, he rarely did unless someone else brought him up first.

"We were extremely close until the fire. He shut me out after that," Gage answered. He seemed uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry, I just thought you might want to talk about it," Stiles shrugged.

"Perhaps talking to you about it, isn't the best thing," Gage shrugged. Stiles smelled of the familiar sadness he often smelled like when Derek was mentioned.

"It's fine, really. I miss him too. It's nice to talk about him without all the negativity. Anytime the pack brings him up, it's to bad mouth him or talk about what he did. I'd like to hear about how he was before the fire. I can't imagine Derek being anyway other than the way I knew him," Stiles glanced at the photo Derek was in, "I took that down after he left. It hurt too much to see, but I want to remember the good things he did. I don't want to be angry anymore, it's too tiring."

Gage glanced at the photo too, "You wanna see a picture of Derek when he was younger, before the fire?" 

"Yeah," Stiles lit up at the idea.

Gage pulled out his phone. After a few moments he held it up to show Stiles. 

Stiles took the phone, inspecting the picture closely, "This is really Derek?" Stiles asked. Derek had a large smile causing his dimple to dig deeply into his cheek, something he had only ever seen a couple of times, but this smile reached his eyes, Stiles hadn't ever seen that before. He wished he could have seen Derek smile like that in person.

"Yep, that was taken a week before the fire. We were celebrating Laura's birthday," Gage nodded. 

"Do you have a picture of Laura?" Stiles asked handing the phone back to Gage. 

Gage nodded, quickly pulling up another picture before handing the phone back to Stiles.

Stiles looked down at the gorgeous brunette in the picture. She resembled Derek and Gage, She had long dark brown waves and sharp features like the twins. Her dimpled grin lit up the photo. Stiles couldn't help but smile, "She was beautiful."

"She was," Gage agreed taking the phone back from Stiles.

"I'm sorry about what happened to her," Stiles could see the pain on Gage's face as he looked at the picture of his sister.

Gage only nodded as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. 

"Do you think Derek will come back, for you at least?" Stiles asked curiously.

"I don't know. I don't know what he's doing or why, so I couldn't tell you. I just hope he's not doing anything stupid," Gage shrugged. He had asked himself that same question a dozen times. He liked to hope he would, but he knew better than to hold on to hope, it wasn't always the most healthy option, that he learned from Derek.


	14. Derek

Sweat dripped down Derek's temple as he ran through the woods. He could hear the hunters behind him, their dogs barking less than a mile back. He should have expected that witch to rat him out. 

Ahead about fourty yards, was his car, all he had to do was make it to that and he would be able to escape them. 

"This way. The dogs have his scent."

Derek heard one of the hunters yelling to the others. He had to hurry, they were gaining on him.

He heard the snaps and cracks of the twigs breaking under the dogs paws as they picked up speed. 

Just a little bit further. 

He slid into the drivers seat and cranked the car hurriedly. He couldn't get caught, not now when he was so close to his answer. All these months would have been for nothing, he couldn't let that be the case not after what he did to his pack. 

Images of the first time he met Scott and Stiles flashed through his head as he peeled out of the woods. Stiles' awkward apology for trespassing, and Scott's blank stare were so vivid it was like he was there all over again. He hated having left them, but he knew he had to, it was for the best. He only hoped they didn't hate him, though he knew that was unlikely, especially Stiles. Stiles was the least trustworthy one and he had betrayed him, leaving him behind to manage a pack of misfits. He knew Stiles would stand in his wake, and while the idea was unnerving, he knew it would only be a matter of time before Scott became an alpha. With Stiles' help Scott would be a great alpha, assuming he managed to kill for the position. 

Derek shook his head of the thoughts of his old pack. One day he would be able to return and explain himself, hopefully. Until then, he had to finish what he'd started. 

Derek parked the car at the hotel he was staying in. It was in the middle of town so no one would be able to track his scent. 

Sliding the locks into place he let out a heavy sigh. So the witch wasn't going to be helpful, that meant he needed a new plan. Who could he possibly trust though? It had been months and all he'd found out was that he needed a spell. The witch he'd found, Vanessa, hadn't known of a spell that could do what Derek wanted. The hunters were on his trail here, so it would be time to move on again. This was the fourth time he'd be relocating. He'd already been to Merida-Mexico, Milan-Italy, and  Alicante-Spain. Next stop was Volos-Greece. After that, he was out of places that the spell had been recorded in. It had taken him a month just to discover that such a spell existed, then another month to find all records of the spell having ever been used. He hadn't had any luck finding the witch that had done the spell and even less luck finding a witch who knew of the spell. Volos was his last hope. The witch contact he had in the states was an absolute last resort as she knew his family and were likely to reach out to Cora or Gage, that was something he couldn't risk. They would never approve of what he was doing and the less they knew, the better. They wouldn't understand, this was something he had to do. 

He zipped his suitcase and scanned the bare room making sure he wouldn't be leaving anything behind. Not that he had much with him. Enough clothes to last a few days, a phone charger, and his laptop. He checked the time on his phone to find a missed call and voicemail from Gage. 

Derek hesitated before putting the phone to his ear.

  "Hey, Der, so I haven't heard from you in a while. I wasn't actually going to call but I just thought it would be nice to talk to you, I know you're kind of 'off the map' right now, but I just wanted to see how you're doing. Feel free to call, if you want to."

Derek squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of his brother's voice. He missed him so much. It had been difficult not answering his calls after he left. He'd left a voicemail everyday for a week. Once Derek had text Cora letting him know he was okay, the calls went back to their usual Thursday's. Gage continued to call every Thursday for a few weeks. Then one day, they just stopped. He knew Gage was hurt, but Gage would never understand, nobody would, so he knew it was better to just keep his distance, just until he could resolve this issue.  

Derek closed out of his voicemail without deleting it. He had done the same thing to all Gage and Cora's voicemails. He would listen to them when he missed them, which was quite often. 

"Just a little more time, I promise," Derek whispered, as if Gage would be able to hear.


	15. That's enough

It had been over a month since the pack had officially voted Gage in as the alpha. He had been surprised by their agreeance. Even Malia, though she'd been hesitant, had agreed. Their only condition was Stiles be second in command.

"There is a condition," Malia spoke looking at Gage, "Stiles is second in command."

Gage chuckled, earning a glare from Malia. 

"Stiles isn't second in command, he's my adviser, we're equal," Gage looked at Stiles fondly who wore a surprised expression. 

"Don't look so surprised Stiles, I couldn't do this without you. You're more qualified to be alpha than I am, I simply have the biology to be, but you are the true alpha," Gage smiled at the human.

There had only been a few supernatural occurrences since Gage's arrival, all of which he handled easily.

The pack all sat quietly waiting for Stiles. He was never late to a pack meeting so it was odd for him to be late now. 

"Should we call him?" Lydia asked worriedly glancing at her watch.

"He'll be here," Scott shook his head.

"Stiles is never late, ever," Isaac commented glancing at Gage.

Just then the door to the vet's office burst open. 

"Sorry guys, I was talking to my dad, there was a group of kids who went missing this morning and he wanted my opinion on if it could be supernatural related, we got caught up on some evidence that points to what seems like a werewolf. I promised him I'd catch you all up and we'd investigate," Stiles spoke quickly.

"A group of kids? How many? What age? Did they find them?" Gage asked concerned.

"Three, all freshmen, they found one, he was too shaken up to talk to the cops. I told my dad I would come by later and try to talk to him," Stiles answered.

"What evidence was there?" Gage pressed for more information.

"The kid's jacket was ripped by what looked to be claw marks. The kid was hurt but not too badly. The only thing they could get out of him was that the phrase, 'They were glowing'. I assume he was talking about the eyes. What else could it have been, ya know?" 

The pack looked to Gage for a reaction.

"If the kid was hurt, then that means the werewolf wasn't being gentle, those other two kids could be in serious danger," Gage was frowning.

"Well, you're the alpha, what do we do?" Liam asked looking at the twin.

"Stiles?" Gage looked to the human. Stiles always had a plan and he was sure now wouldn't be any different.

"Why couldn't you have been the one to come looking for Laura? Why did we have to get Derek as our alpha, you would have been so much better," Malia huffed crossing her arms. Gage had grown on Malia, she was much more respectful of him, however her attitude towards Derek had only gotten worse.

Stiles clenched his jaw. Something in him really hated when the pack talked badly about Derek. He didn't know why, but it had gotten worse over the past couple of months. It made him irrationally angry.

"It doesn't matter, he's here now, and he's our alpha," Allison shook her head. 

"So what do we do about this werewolf?" Isaac asked looking between Gage and Stiles.

"I say we pay Peter a visit first, see if he knows anything," Stiles answered when Gage looked to Stiles silently.

"You mean go make sure Peter isn't the werewolf the kid ran into," Scott smirked at his best friend.

Stiles smiled back, Scott knew him so well.

 

-

 

"Peter, open up," Stiles knocked on Derek's old loft door. Peter had officially taken up residency there.

The door opened revealing a man taller than Stiles. His blue eyes shined as he smiled at the human.

"Stiles, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Peter grinned widely. 

"We need to talk," Stiles answered.

"By all means," Peter stepped aside, allowing Stiles and Gage through. 

"Nice to see you again, Gage," Peter nodded to his nephew. 

Gage remained silent. He had seen Peter once since he'd arrived and it had been an awkward conversation. Peter attempted to apologize and Gage refused to listen to what Peter had to say. The two had managed to avoid each other since.

"Three kids went missing this morning, one was found but the other two are still MIA, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" Stiles asked trying to remain calm. It was hard being in Derek's loft again.

"Aww, and here I thought you just missed me, but you're only here to accuse me of kidnapping," Peter sighed sitting on the small couch.

"Just answer the question," Gage snapped.

"Dear nephew, you seem to still be holding on to that animosity. Derek was much more forgiving, perhaps it's because he understands making mistakes," Peter spoke thoughtfully.  

Stiles tensed, causing Gage to let out a low growl.

"He made quite a few of them. After all, he's the reason the rest of our family was killed," Peter continued.

"That's enough," Stiles snapped. He didn't want to hear anymore.

"You're awfully defensive of someone who ditched you. Malia said he didn't even leave a note. I'm sure that stung," Peter looked at Stiles with a look of sympathy.

"I said that's enough. We didn't come here for you to paint Derek in a bad light to make yourself feel better for your own wrong doings. We came here to find out if you knew anything about the werewolf that took the three kids this morning," Stiles growled, his voice low.

"I do have an idea, actually," Peter cocked his head as he eyed Stiles.

Stiles shifted uncomfortably under the ex alpha's stare.

"You should have been the one I bit, you would make an excellent werewolf," Peter smiled.

Gage narrowed his eyes at his uncle. Was he flirting with Stiles?

"Just tell me what you know," Stiles huffed. He hated when Peter did this.

"I know that there is a new alpha in town. I caught his scent when I was out in the reserve yesterday. I just assumed he was passing through. That could be your kidnapper," Peter answered his eyes never leaving Stiles'. 

"You didn't think it necessary to warn me?" Gage growled.

"You're not my alpha," Peter looked at Gage briefly before turning his gaze back to Stiles, "I knew if it was important, you'd stop by. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see you in person, it happens to rarely."

Stiles shifted again.

"Stop flirting with Stiles, he dated your daughter," Gage sneered.

"Keyword 'dated'." Peter winked at Stiles.

"We're done here," Gage grabbed Stiles' hand and pulled him towards the door.

"Be careful Stiles, Gage was cut from the same cloth as Derek," Peter commented, "Notice I never left. Perhaps I wasn't the bad guy after all."

Stiles pulled from Gage's grasp, turning to face Peter.

"You killed Laura, for her alpha status. You bit scott. You haunted Lydia so she would resurrect you. There is no part of you that is the good guy. Gage is nothing like Derek," Stiles barked taking a few steps towards Stiles.

"Why are you so defensive of Derek? He left you. It's been months," Peter frowned curiously at Stiles.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Stiles snapped before turning away from Peter.

Gage lead Stiles out gently, tossing a glare over his shoulder.


	16. Nathan

Gage and Stiles walked into the sheriff's station and past the front desk. 

"Stiles, thank goodness, we don't know what to do. The kid is freaking out. He keeps yelling and begging us to let him out," Sheriff Stilinski spoke urgently.

"Where are his parents?" Gage frowned.

"They agreed to let us keep him in holding for twenty four hours for safety precautions. They're afraid that whoever grabbed him the first time is gonna try again," The Sheriff answered. 

"Your station is one of the best run, if there's anywhere he's safe, it's here," Gage nodded stepping past Stiles' dad.

"I really like him, so much better than Derek," Noah smiled after the Hale twin.

"Derek had his reasons for leaving, that doesn't make him a bad person," Stiles snapped.

Noah raised his brows at his son as if waiting for an explanation.

Stiles followed after Gage, dropping the conversation. 

"Please, you have to let me out, I have to get out of here," A young guy no older than sixteen was gripping the bars of his cell tightly.

"Hey, okay, calm down, let's just talk for a second okay?" Stiles spoke gently walking slowly towards the cell.

"It's safer in there so I'm gonna come in, alright?" Stiles nodded at the deputy next to the door. The deputy slid his keycard unlocking the cell door for Stiles.

Stiles stepped in as the kid backed away. 

"Stay away from me," The kid begged quietly.

"Hey, It's okay, I'm here to help," Stiles put his hands up. 

"Let's talk in private," Stiles nodded at his dad. Noah, Gage and the two deputies all filed out of the room leaving Stiles and the young guy alone.

"What's your name?" Stiles asked gently.

The boy didn't respond.

"I'm Stiles."

Still no response.

"I know about what happened to you and your friends. I heard that you wouldn't tell the cops what happened. All you would say was 'they glowed'. Were you talking about the guy's eyes? Did his eyes glow?" Stiles asked taking a seat on the floor of the cell across from the boy.

The boy's eyes widened, "How did you know?"

"I've seen a guy like that," Stiles answered simply. 

"I've never seen anything like it before," The boy shivered at the memory.

"Can you tell me what color they were?" Stiles asked.

"Red," The kid whispered as if it was dangerous to say.

"Listen..." Stiles paused.

"Nathan," The boy finished.

"Nathan, I want to help you, but you have to tell me everything. What happened?" Stiles urged gently. 

"My friends and I, Andrew and Jason, we were in the woods, just shooting our slingshots. We always go to the same spot, we didn't think anyone owned the property. We heard it before we saw it, a low growl. I thought it was a regular dog. We ran. Jason got caught. This was no regular dog, he stood on two feet. He looked like a...like a..."

"Werewolf," Stiles finished for Nathan.

Nathan nodded, his eyes wide.

"What happened next?" Stiles pressed.

"He bit Jason. Andrew and I tried to help him. I hit him in the eye with my slingshot but it just made him mad. Andrew got bit next. He tried to grab me, but he only got my jacket. He scratched my back but I managed to get away. Jason and Andrew ran in one direction and I ran the other. The, whatever it was, chased me. He almost got me when another wolf guy, or whatever attacked him. They fought, I ran. I managed to hide in that old burned down house outside the woods. After what felt like years, the cops came. I don't know what happened to Andrew and Jason, but he wanted me. He let them go," Nathan was shaking as he spoke.

Stiles stood making his way gently towards the boy. He knelt next to the terrified kid and put a hand on his shoulder, "Nathan, I'm gonna be honest with you, that was a werewolf, yes they're real. The guy that was after you was an alpha, he wanted to turn you and your friends into werewolves to be in his pack. Your friends got bit, their gonna either change or... some people don't make through the change," Stiles spoke calmly, "That guy that came in with me, he's a werewolf, but he's not gonna hurt you. He's gonna help you. We need to catch this guy, but we need your help."

"He's a..." Nathan's eyes snapped towards the door where Gage was smiling at the Sheriff.

"He seems nice though," Nathan frowned at Stiles.

"He is. He's an alpha too," Stiles nodded.

"Wait, are you...?" 

"No, I'm human, completely," Stiles smiled, "So will you help us?" 

Nathan nodded, "What about my friends?" 

"We can get them away from him but...only if they change. Gage will take them in and help them, show them how to be a werewolf. It's not a bad thing. You know Liam Dunbar?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah, he's the captain of the lacrosse team," Nathan nodded.

"He's a werewolf, he's in Gage's pack," Stiles explained.

"Okay, but nobody will believe me, that werewolves are real," Nathan bit his bottom lip.

"No, they won't, so this has to be our secret, you can tell the Sheriff but that's it," Stiles answered, standing. He helped Nathan to his feet.

"Do I have to stay here?" Nathan asked looking around the cell.

"We'll take you with us, we'll protect you," Stiles answered.

"Stiles, we're not taking him as bait," Gage spoke stepping into the room.

"The alpha will be coming for him here, I'm not leaving him with a bunch of humans when we can protect him. I'm not willing to put all these lives at stake, are you?" Stiles crossed his arms.

Gage sighed. He knew Stiles was right. "Fine, but his safety comes first," 

"Of course," Stiles nodded. He then turned to Nathan. "This has to be a secret too, your parents think you're staying here, you have to let them believe that, okay?" 

Nathan nodded, staring at Gage with scared eyes.

"Hey, remember what I told you, he's gonna help you," Stiles put a gentle hand on Nathan's shoulder.

-

Gage paced the room nervously, he didn't know what he was going to do about a rogue alpha. He wasn't sure he could take him on and win, they didn't know anything about this guy.

"Nathan said that another werewolf attacked the alpha, maybe he took care of it," Liam said watching Gage pace.

"I doubt it, he said the second werewolf had yellow eyes, he'd be lucky to have survived the fight," Gage shook his head.

"I want to know who the second werewolf is. It's obviously not Peter and it wasn't any of us so..." Before Malia could finish there was a knock at the front door.

Gage let out a menacing growl. The pack froze in place as Gage made his way to the door cautiously. 

Stiles grabbed his bat from behind the door as Gage opened it. 

"He's....coming" A guy fell forward to his hands and knees as he spit up blood.

"Theo?!" Stiles gasped dropping down next to the familiar guy.

"Stiles." Theo  whispered hoarsely. 

"You know this guy?" Gage frowned helping Stiles drag him inside.

"Yeah, he used to be my...best friend...back in fourth grade," Stiles answered hesitantly.

"Stiles, listen to me," Theo pulled Stiles' closer, "he's coming, and he's dangerous." Theo coughed, causing blood to spurt from his mouth.

"He needs to see Deaton," Allison said kneeling next to Stiles.

"Go get Lydia and you two take him, we need to get ready, if what Theo says is true, we need to act fast," Gage ordered.

Allison ran up the stairs to get Lydia and Nathan.

"What do we do?" Stiles asked holding onto Theo's hand tightly. 

"Run. He'll kill you all....you have...to...run," Theo spoke, his voice broken by raspy coughs.

"We don't run, we fight," Stiles shook his head.

Theo pulled Stiles in close, "Please, I don't want to see...you hurt," Theo gasped around labored breaths. 

"I'll be okay, I promise," Stiles whispered as Lydia and Allison reached them. Gage helped get him to Lydia's car. 

"What the hell is Theo doing back?" Scott frowned at Stiles. 

Stiles turned to Scott, "I have no idea, and I get the feeling we don't want to know."


	17. Rogue alpha

Nathan stared at Stiles with worried eyes, "He's coming for me isn't he?"

"I promise, no matter what, I won't let anything happen to you," Stiles placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder. 

The kid seemed to relax a bit. 

"What are we gonna do? We don't know anything about this guy," Malia asked looking at Gage.

"Maybe we can talk to him, reason with him," Isaac offered. 

"He didn't seem like the talking type," Nathan frowned. 

Just then a large bang startled the pack. 

"You have something of mine," A voice snarled from outside the door.

Gage held a hand up to keep everyone in place as he walked towards the door. He opened it to reveal a built guy with glowing red eyes. Gage's eyes matched the other alpha's. 

"I don't want an altercation, I just want what belongs to me," The guy looked past Gage at Nathan.

Stiles stepped in front of the scared boy, "He doesn't belong to you." 

"Check his back, I laid claim," The guy growled at Stiles. 

"That's not how things work around here," Gage growled back. His wolf didn't like Stiles being threatened. 

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not from around here," The other alpha snapped.

"In case you haven't noticed this is our territory," Stiles snapped back taking a step forward. He really didn't like this guy.

"Your territory? You're no alpha," The guy snarled.

"He may not be, but I am," Gage's teeth extended as a show of warning.

"I was told there was no alpha to these parts, the last of the Hale's ditched the pack here," The guy smirked, it was obvious he knew who Gage was.

"He's obviously an alpha," Stiles snapped. The overbearing protectiveness he felt for Gage and Derek was surfacing.

"Nobody gave you permission to talk, human," The guy spat.

"Do I look like the type that asks for permission?" Stiles quipped, taking another step forward.

"Stiles," Gage warned gently. He could sense Stiles' annoyance heighten. Stiles had a tendency of getting himself in trouble when he was annoyed.

"Like I said before, I didn't come for an altercation," The guy glared at Stiles.

"Then you shouldn't have come at all," Stiles snapped.

"What did you do to Jason and Andrew, where are they?" Nathan spoke up suddenly, from behind Stiles.

"The blonde one didn't quite make the cut, but the tall dark haired one is gonna make a fine beta," The alpha smiled menacingly.

"Who do you think you are? They're just kids," Malia snapped as she went to stand next to Stiles.

"The name is Vance," The alpha's eyes raked over Malia carefully, his smile turning to a smirk.

Malia growled in response, her claw and fangs extending.

"Malia," Gage warned gently. He refused to let his pack be the first to make a move. If this guy really wanted to avoid trouble Gage was okay with that.

"You can't just walk into our territory and start making claims to people, especially young teenagers. He's barely sixteen, what are you gonna do with a handful of kids?" Stiles walked closer positioning himself next to Gage.

"Look, the way I see it, you can either give up the kid or I can take him from you. My reasoning is none of your concern," Vance snapped at Stiles, his alpha stare returning to the human.

"It is when you're on our property," Stiles scoffed. This guy was ridiculous, "Seriously who taught you werewolf politics? I'm not even a werewolf and I know that walking into another alpha's territory and trying to turn a bunch of kids, is a stupid idea,"

Vance cocked his head slightly with a frown, "No wonder Derek left, you are truly irritating."

Stiles felt his heart race slightly at the mention of Derek's name. This guy knew Derek. How did they know each other? This guy didn't seem to care who Gage was and if he knew Derek he had to know Gage was Derek's brother, yet he showed no respect towards the twin.

"How do you know my brother?" Gage growled. 

"We had a bit of a run in back in Volos," Vance answered with a sneer.

"Derek's in Greece?" Stiles asked. This would be the first he'd heard of Derek's whereabouts since he left.

"He was, until a few days ago," 

It was obvious this guy wasn't planning on giving up any more information.

"Why are you here?" Stiles snapped. He was getting beyond irritated, especially since Derek had been brought up.

"Derek crossed me in a way I didn't like, I intend to get even," Vance smiled.

"By turning a couple of kids in his old territory? Yeah, that'll really show him," Stiles gave a sarcastic double thumbs up.

"No, I'm actually going to build my own pack and take over his old one, I heard there were a few humans thrown into the mix, I figured I'd give them the bite and see who's left," Vance gave Stiles a vicious grin.

"If you didn't notice, Derek doesn't care about his old pack," Malia spoke up still glaring at the rogue alpha.

"Oh come on, we both know that's not true. Especially his little spark," Vance chuckled.

"Spark?" Stiles frowned. What was this guy talking about.

"It's not you, I'm guessing. Though I don't smell any other humans," Vance frowned. He then turned his attention to Gage, "You're awfully nervous suddenly."

"You're not getting the kid, just cut your losses and go," Gage wanted him gone before he said too much. He was not only riling up Stiles but also talking about things he didn't want known.

"Wait a minute... It is him," Vance glanced at Stiles briefly, "But he doesn't know it yet,"

Gage tensed. 

Stiles noticed Gage's tension.

"What's he talking about, Gage?" Stiles looked to his alpha.

"Nothing," Gage lied. He hoped Stiles would drop it, but he should have known better, after all, this was Stiles.

"It's obviously not nothing, so what is it?" Stiles snapped.

"You've got a spark. All that means is you could be an emissary if you were trained properly," Gage left off the part where you had to be tied to an alpha if you became an emissary.

"Wait, what?" Stiles looked at Gage in shock.

"Deaton realized it several weeks back," Gage said dismissively.

"And you didn't think it necessary to tell me?" Stiles snapped slightly.

"It's complicated, we'll talk more about it later," Gage prayed Stiles would drop it. 

"How does it feel to know you're the reason Derek left?" Vance grinned maliciously.

"Wait, how am I the reason?" Stiles frowned at Vance. This guy may have been the bad guy but he had information about Derek, lots of information it seemed, and Stiles wanted to know more.

"I'll make you a deal, you give me sparky here," Vance gestured towards Stiles, "and I'll leave town without any trouble."

"No," Gage snapped instantly.

"Ooh, does dear old brother know how close you two have gotten?" Vance was enjoying the teasing, and stirring up drama, that much was obvious.

"Why do you want me?" Stiles asked.

"Like I said, I want to get even with Derek," Vance answered simply.

"I said no," Gage spoke again.

"You either give me Stiles or I wreak havoc on this entire town and make Derek regret ever meeting me," Vance's teasing and taunting was clearly over.

Gage snarled his eyes flaring their bright alpha red.

"You have until this time tomorrow to decide," Vance turned then and ran off into the night. 

Gage closed the door. He could sense Stiles' annoyance and anger, but he wasn't in the mood to talk about Stiles being a spark.

"What are we gonna do?" Isaac asked speaking up for the first time. He and Scott had remained quiet the entire time.

"Give him what he wants. Me," Stiles answered for Gage.

"What?" Malia snapped her head towards Stiles.

"No, we're not," Gage growled.

"You heard him, either give him me, or he's gonna wreak havoc. I refuse to have anymore blood on my hands," Stiles argued.

"I said no," Gage snapped. He'd never snapped at Stiles before. Gage expected Stiles to realize how serious Gage was, but alas, that wasn't the case.

"We're not going to unleash a rogue alpha onto the population of Beacon Hills," Stiles crossed his arms.

"It's not up for debate, Stiles," Gage growled.

"What happened to me being second in command?" Stiles threw his hands up.

"You are, second, in command. I'm the alpha, I'm first, which means I said no," Gage was in no mood to fight with Stiles.

Stiles looked taken aback by Gage's tone. The two of them had never had a fight. Gage reminded Stiles of Derek when he was acting like this.

"What happened to protecting everyone else first? What happened to the guy who let me get put under the succubi's spell? Or who let me fall in the river when we were hunting down the Selkie? Or who used me as bait to lure in the Nymph? Or who made me follow the sprite to her cave?" Stiles demanded in aggravation. Why was Gage being so weird about this?

"Because I'm not about to send you to what could end up being your death. I swore to look after this pack, I'm not about to sacrifice one member in order to save the rest," Gage barked.

"So you're going to risk everyone's lives to save mine? That's stupid," Stiles threw his hands up again.

"Stiles, you realize he's going to kill you, possibly torture you," Gage huffed, is this what Derek's relationship with Stiles had been like? 

"I don't care," Stiles snapped.

"Well I do," Gage snapped back.

"I'm not your beta, you don't control me," Stiles wasn't giving up.

"Stiles," Gage pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not trying to control you, I'm trying to protect you."

"You're acting like Derek," Stiles meant for the comment to be insulting, but it only made Gage's protective side come out.

"If this is how you acted towards Derek, it's no wonder he left," Gage shouted harshly. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

Stiles' jaw dropped. Gage never mentioned Derek leaving, and he had never yelled at Stiles before. 

Gage sensed the hurt immediately, "Stiles, I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't," Stiles spoke, his tone low and quiet. He turned and stalked out of the room before Gage could object. 

"Shit," Gage swore running a hand through his raven hair. Now he'd done it.


	18. Tie himself

Stiles climbed out of his window, careful not to make any noise that might alarm the pack. He knew Gage would be furious if he caught Stiles. He carefully jumped to the ground with a soft thud. He paused, hoping no one would investigate. Once he was sure he was in the clear, Stiles headed for the woods. He knew the approximate location of where the alpha had attacked Nathan and his friends, he hoped he would find a way to locate the alpha starting from there. He was planning to turn himself in, it was better this way, safer for the pack. He promised Nathan he wouldn't let anything happen to him, he couldn't break that promise, he refused. Just as the pack house went out of sight he heard a voice. 

"Where do you think you're off to?" 

Stiles turned to see a tall boy no older than Nathan with dark brown hair. This must have been Jason.

"Jason right?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah," The kid nodded. 

"I'm guessing Vance left you to look after the house?" Stiles asked glancing back the way he'd come.

"He did, said he didn't want you disappearing," Jason crossed his arms.

"I'm guessing you know where I can find him," Stiles knew that whatever Vance had in store for him wouldn't be pleasant, but he didn't have a choice.

"You're giving yourself up to him?" Jason asked, surprised. 

"Yeah," Stiles nodded.

"Why?" Jason frowned. It was clear the kid was suspicious.

"I promised Nathan I wouldn't let anything happen to him," Stiles hoped that he could convince Jason to go with Gage, this kid didn't need to be following after Vance.

"Nathan's alive?" Jason asked a hint of relief in his tone.

"Yeah, he's with my pack," Stiles nodded back towards the pack house.

"Good, I already lost Andrew," Jason said sadly.

"Vance gave him the bite, right? He didn't make it," Stiles recalled Vance mentioning the other one not making the cut. 

Jason only nodded.

"Gage will protect you, if you want to join the pack, he'll help you through the transition," Stiles urged gently. He could tell Jason was upset by the loss of his friend.

"Vance promised to make me strong, he promised I'd be almost invincible, I owe him," Jason shook his head.

"Look, you tell me where to go and I'll turn myself in, you can go tell Gage that you need help, I promise he'll help you," 

"No, Vance isn't a bad guy, he just wants to get that asshole back for what he did to him, you're the way to do that," Jason shook his head as he grabbed Stiles' arm, "I'm taking you to him myself."

Stiles let out a sigh but didn't fight. At least he wouldn't have to be wandering the woods for hours looking for a rogue alpha.

 

-

 

Gage felt guilty, he knew how sensitive Stiles was about Derek and yet he'd still thrown it in his face. Gage had gotten frustrated. After pacing his room, he made his way to Stiles'.

Gage knocked gently, "Stiles, I'm really sorry, can we talk, please?"

No answer.

Gage knocked harder.

Still nothing.

Gage suddenly felt nervous. Was Stiles okay? Gage turned the handle. It gave away easily, proving it wasn't locked.

"Stiles?" Gage poked his head in to Stiles' room. The room was empty. Perhaps Stiles had gone downstairs. 

Gage reached the kitchen to find the rest of the pack at the table with Nathan, carefully explaining werewolf politics.

"Hey, have you guys seen Stiles?" Gage asked approaching the table where a map of Beacon Hills was laid out.

"Not since he went upstairs earlier," Scott shook his head.

"You mean he hasn't come down?" Gage asked with a frown.

Everyone shook their head. 

Dread filled the alpha as he bolted back up the stairs.

"Stiles!" Gage called for the human, worry etched in his tone. 

He pushed open Stiles' door and sniffed, looking for any evidence that Vance had taken him. 

Nothing.

Gage checked the window to find it was closed but unlocked. 

"Son of a bitch," Gage swore. Stiles had snuck out. He was going to give himself up to Vance.

 

-

 

Stiles followed Jason into what looked to be an abandoned warehouse. He looked around to see one wall piled high with old wooden pallets. The wall opposite was some sort of electrical fence. Stiles noticed the various weapons displayed neatly against another wall. This wasn't just an abandoned warehouse, it was an old hunter's torture chamber. Perhaps Gerard argent's? 

"Interesting place to stay, considering," Stiles commented quietly.

"Yes, ironic, isn't it?" Vance's familiar voice spoke from Stiles' right, "I'm surprised to see you." 

"You said you wanted me, so here I am," Stiles spread his arms wide, as if to show himself off.

"So you are," Vance nodded, "and why are you here?" 

"You said you'd leave town," Stiles prayed he'd stick to his word.

"I'm going to assume your little alpha doesn't know you're here," Vance smiled.

"No. He didn't want to turn me over to you," Stiles answered simply. 

"You're awfully brave, disobeying your alpha and coming here," Vance's smile didn't falter.

"Like I said before, I don't ask permission," Stiles felt nervous, and he knew Vance could tell.

"Indeed," Vance nodded. The alpha didn't move as he eyed Stiles.

"So are you going to kill me or what?" Stiles asked growing irritated. He hated the anticipation.

"I haven't decided. I could just turn you, or I could force you to become my emissary," Vance eyed Stiles carefully, allowing his eyes to rake over Stiles slowly.

"I don't know the first thing about being an emissary," Stiles swallowed nervously.

"I could just make you my little pet. Derek would hate that," Vance walked towards Stiles finally.

"I doubt Derek would care what you did with me," Stiles stated blatantly. Whatever attachment this guy thought Derek had to him, he was sadly mistaken.

"I know for a fact that's not true," Vance disagreed,

"You said I was the reason Derek left, why?" Stiles wanted answers and this guy had them.

"He wanted to get away from you," Vance answered with a smirk. He immediately sensed hurt and confusion radiating off Stiles,

"Why?" Stiles asked cautiously though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the reason.

"He knew you were a spark, he was trying to prevent you from becoming a druid," Vance answered simply.

"Why?" Stiles asked again. He didn't understand why Derek would want that.

"Because apparently his wolf felt a connection with your spark which was causing your spark to react. He refused to let that happen because he was didn't want to tie himself to you," Vance circled Stiles carefully observing the human.

"Tie himself to me?" What did that even mean.

"When an alpha and a spark feel a connection, the spark is ignited and the person becomes a druid. When that happens the two are often drawn to each other. Not in a romantic way, but in a protective way. When a human becomes an emissary, a ritual is performed to connect the emissary and the alpha. The only way that connection can be broken is if one of them dies. An alpha can have mutiple emissaries throughout their life, but an emissary can only be tied to one alpha," Vance stopped in front of Stiles, now closer than he was before.

"So what would happen if he didn't tie himself to me?" Stiles asked curiously. He'd never known the emissary connection to be so strong.

"Well an untethered emissary is uncommon. An alpha is stronger with an emissary, so they are coveted. Word would no doubt spread, and alpha's would come for you. Some would probably ask, others may not be so kind," Vance explained not moving away from Stiles.

"I had an emissary, I lost him a few years back and promised not to have another, you however, are very tempting," Vance's eyes raked over Stiles again causing the human to shudder. 

"I'm making you uncomfortable," Vance grinned backing up a bit.

"What's so tempting about me?" Stiles dared ask.

"You're brave, for one. Stunning as well. Also I can sense your spark, it's awfully strong considering Derek left several months back. It makes me wonder if maybe your spark isn't just connected to Derek, but the Hale's in general, Gage is an alpha too after all. I just wonder if Derek knows his brother has swooped in," Vance spoke thoughtfully.

Stiles shifted at the alpha's compliments, "Gage hasn't spoken to Derek since he left." 

"Hmmm, interesting," Vance hummed. 

"What did Derek do to you anyway?" Derek wasn't known for making friends but he knew better than to make enemies with alpha's.

"In Greece we crossed paths. He was looking for a witch, I pointed him in the direction he needed. When she tried to kill him he thought I had tricked him. He threatened to out me to the local hunters. We spoke, came to an understanding. Then one day the hunters showed up at our home, slaughtering most of my pack. No one knew of our location besides Derek. I tried to find him but found that he had already left Volos. No one knew where he was headed so I decided to come here. I had spoken to the witch he had hunted, she told me everything in exchange for a hefty some. And here we are," Vance explained. 

"How do you know Derek told the hunters?" Stiles frowned. Derek wasn't stupid enough to do something like that. Was he?

"Like I said, he was the only one who knew of our location," 

"Why was Derek looking for a witch?" 

"For a spell,"

"What spell?" 

Vance huffed. "You ask a lot of questions. He was looking for an ancient spell that can erase a spark. Basically it poisons the spark making it obsolete, meaning you could never become an emissary."

Stiles felt his jaw drop. Derek was going to erase his spark? How could he do that to Stiles? That wasn't up to him. Stiles suddenly felt very angry at his ex alpha. Derek had no right. No wonder he left without telling anyone why; he was going to poison Stiles.


	19. Stiles

Vance perked his ears, the sound of soft thuds indicated someone was outside. 

"Looks like your alpha tracked you here," Vance growled. 

"Shit," Stiles swore. He didn't expect Gage to notice his absence so quickly. 

Vance grabbed Stiles by his throat pressing him against the nearest wall as the door to the warehouse was forced open. 

In rushed Gage, Scott and Malia.

"Don't move or I'll crush his throat," Vance growled, his eyes bright red.

The three wolves stopped in their tracks. Gage's eyes flaring at the threat. 

"Stiles and I were having a nice conversation and you just had to come barreling in," Vance snarled, his grip tightening around Stiles' neck.

"Look, let's just talk about this okay? I'm sure we can come to an agreement," Gage spoke calmly but his wolf was ready to rip the other alphas throat out.

"The agreement was, I get Stiles and leave town," Vance snapped. He wasn't about to lose Stiles, he was the perfect way to get back at Derek. 

"We never agreed to that," Gage growled, his canines growing. Seeing Stiles in the position he was in made Gage's wolf crazy.

"Stiles did when he turned himself over," the rogue alpha smirked.

Malia growled taking a step causing Vance to grip Stiles' throat harder. 

Stiles squirmed at the loss of oxygen. He could see the members of his pack in the corner of his eye, but the red that was starting to cloud his vision made it impossible to see what was happening.

Gage couldn't control his wolf anymore, he lunged at Vance, his teeth bared and claws extended. 

Before Gage could reach him, Vance squeezed, crushing Stiles trachea, being careful not to break skin with his claws.

Jason, who had been observing quietly lunged at Gage with a large blade, but Malia interfered taking Jason down with a quick swoop. 

Scott rushed to Stiles, who was on his hands and knees coughing blood and gasping for air.

"Stiles, shit," Scott panicked.

Stiles tried to talk but nothing but blood would come out, he couldn't pull oxygen into his lungs, his vision wavered, making Scott nothing but a blurry haze.

Malia having already mauled Jason to death turned then to Vance. Gage and him were circling one another already covered in each other's blood.

The rogue alpha saw he was losing the fight as Malia advanced on him from the opposite side as Gage, and bolted for the door. 

Gage went to chase after him when Scott's yell stopped him, "Gage!"

Gage turned to see Stiles slumped on his side, blood pooling from his mouth. 

Gage felt worry and anger build inside him as he rushed to the human's side. 

Scott gripped his best friend's hand pulling as much pain as he could. 

"Stiles," Gage dropped to his knees next to the human. 

Stiles gave a raspy gasp as he struggled to take in a breath. It was getting harder to even do that. 

"His lungs are filling with blood," Malia spoke worriedly as she listened carefully to Stiles' breathing. 

Gage grabbed Stiles arm, raising it to his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Scott asked stopping Gage, "He never wanted the bite."

"He's drowning in his own blood. If we don't do something in the next few minutes, he'll die," Gage explained before extending his canines. He couldn't lose Stiles. He would never forgive himself. The human had become his best friend, he couldn't manage the pack without him, he didn't want to manage the pack without him. 

Gage fought to control himself as he placed his mouth to Stiles' skin. His teeth sunk into Stiles' forearm while Scott and Malia pulled as much pain from the human as possible.

Stiles couldn't even let out a cry of pain. The lack of oxygen began to numb him. He felt himself slipping. He wanted to hold on, fight, but he couldn't. He heard faint voices but the ever growing ringing in his ears drowned them out.

"Stiles," Malia's voice wavered as she tried to pull pain from him, but there was nothing to pull, "Why can't I pull his pain?" She looked to Gage.

"He's not in pain," Scott's voice broke.

Gage gripped Stiles hand harshly. He heard Stiles' heart beat continue to slow. The bite wasn't taking effect like it should have. Would the bite have killed him anyway? Gage clenched his jaw as he listened carefully, willing his heart rate to elevate. 

"Do you feel that?" Malia asked looking down at Stiles' hand in hers.

Gage felt the warmth spread under his touch like fire. 

Stiles' face began to flush. The red spreading over his normally pale skin.

"What's happening?" Scott frowned. 

"I'm-I'm not sure," Gage shook his head. Stiles' heart stopped slowing but it wasn't getting faster. It remained weak.

"Maybe you slowed the process, let's get him to Deaton," Malia spoke hopefully.

"Wait," Gage could have sworn he saw Stiles' chest rise.

"Is he breathing?" Scott asked. 

So he had seen it too. Gage felt hope swell in him as he gently scooped Stiles into his arms.

-

Derek flipped through the old witch's Grimoire he had managed to confiscate while in Volos. He didn't understand a thing he was looking at. 

"Damn it," Derek swore slamming the book closed. Only a witch would be able to decipher the spells inside. 

There was only one witch he knew he could trust.

"Bonnie." Derek sighed, running his hands over his face. That was the last thing he wanted to do. It would risk Gage or Cora finding out what he was doing. He didn't even know if the spell he needed was even in the book.

Derek ignored the buzzing of his phone. It was probably just Cora, she was the only one who ever called him, though Gage had called him a while back, he hadn't heard from him since. 

The beep of a voicemail made Derek pick up his phone. It had been Gage. That was strange. Deciding he could use hearing his brother's voice, he played the message.

"Derek, it's me, look I really wish you would call me back....I need...I need to tell you something. I would rather have done this in person, but I know you're currently...look, this is serious so could you call me back please?"

Derek frowned, he hadn't heard anything bad from Cora. Was she in trouble? He typed up a quick text asking Cora how Gage was. It wasn't out of the norm for him to ask that. 

She immediately responded with a simple, 'he's good, how are you'. 

Derek frowned, if something was seriously wrong she would know about it first. Perhaps Gage was just trying to get Derek on the phone. He chose to ignore the voicemail, but before he could set his phone down, it was ringing again.

Derek huffed as he rejected the call. Maybe Gage would get the point then. 

Once again his phone beeped with a voicemail. Derek sighed as he pressed play.

"Derek, seriously," Gage's tone was angry, "This is really important, and I didn't want to have to tell you through voicemail but since you want to reject my calls, then you deserve to find out this way."

Derek suddenly felt nervous, Gage was pissed and that didn't happen easily. What was so urgent that he needed Derek to know?

"I'm currently at Deaton's with your old pack, Stiles is...well I'm not sure, but it's not good. I don't know if he'll make it. I know he was important to you. I tried to save him but...I don't know...he's become...he's my best friend," Gage's tone shifted to one of hurt, "I've never had someone I trusted like him that wasn't family, even my old pack. I'm scared, Der. I know everyone says you hated each other but, I know deep down that's not true. He reminds me of Laura, I'm sure that's why you pushed him away, I even told him that, not that he believed me," Gage chuckled, "I just wanted to be the one to tell you. It's my fault for not protecting him, I'm sorry." 

Derek felt dread wash over him. Stiles was dying. Gage was with Stiles. How long had he been in Beacon Hills?  Why was Gage in Beacon Hills? What happened to Stiles? Derek's teeth were clenched and his hands in fists. He grabbed his bag off the hotel bed and shoved the Grimoire inside before hurrying out the door. He needed to get to Beacon Hills. He was going to kill whoever hurt Stiles.


	20. True emissary

Gage paced the small waiting room in the vet's office. It was strange to bring a human to a veterinarian, but Deaton was no ordinary vet, he had been Talia Hale's emissary. Gage's mother had been the most respected alpha and Deaton had helped her succeed as such. Upon her demise, Deaton had gone into retirement, that is, until Derek found him. He was unable to become their official emissary, but he always did whatever he could to help the pack. He was the only one who would be able to truly help Stiles. Whether Stiles was a spark or werewolf, Deaton would know how to help. This did nothing to calm Gage though. 

He'd called Derek but he didn't hear back. He called Cora next, who insisted Stiles was strong and would be okay. Gage wasn't so sure though. While there was no question as to if Stiles was strong or not, there was no sure way to know if he would be okay. 

The other members of the pack exchanged worried glances. They wanted to comfort their alpha, but none of them knew what to say. 

Stiles was the glue to the pack of misfits. He knew how to mediate between Malia and Gage, he kept Liam calm when he was nervous, he lifted Isaac's spirits when he felt alone, he helped Allison deal with the pressure of being an argent in a werewolf pack, he kept Scott in line when he forgot how strong he was, he kept Lydia from going insane with her banshee abilities.

Now all of them were crowded in Deaton's tiny waiting room awaiting info on their best friend and fellow pack mate. Even Ethan had shown up when Scott called him. Scott knew that despite the issues Ethan had with the pack, Stiles had been there for him too. 

The last person in the room was Theo, he had been easily nursed back to health, and was worried sick when he saw Stiles being brought in. 

The pack had all agreed to wait and see how Stiles was, before calling any parents. 

"Gage, if you could, come back here." Deaton poked his head out of the examination room.

Gage closed the door behind him as he looked at a still unconscious Stiles.

"Do me a favor and take his hand," Deaton spoke as he grabbed the device he'd used a few weeks back, "I need to check his electrical currents." 

Gage took Stiles' pale hand in his. 

Deaton's eyes widened at the device, "His spark is in full swing."

"Is that good?" Gage asked, his tone hopeful.

"It is, but you gave him the bite, I don't know what that means for him. I've only ever heard of one other spark getting the bite, they didn't make it. Stiles would have already died if his body was going to reject  the bite. 

"Has the bite healed?" Gage asked looking at Stiles other arm. 

Deaton turned Stiles' wrist so his forearm was exposed. 

"It's not healing," Gage noted.

"I am wondering if the bite kickstarted his spark. Kind of how when Lydia was bit," Deaton spoke thoughtfully.

"I don't know that story," Gage frowned at the vet. 

"Your uncle Peter bit Lydia one night. Stiles managed to save her but the bite didn't kill her and she never turned. The bite healed at a normal rate and she was fine after several days. However, it was right after that, her banshee skills started. She heard voices and started to find dead bodies. Perhaps the bite ignited his spark completely," Deaton explained.

"So he's gonna be okay?" Gage asked, looking carefully at the veterinarian.

"I believe so. I pulled as much blood from his lungs as I could. He's breathing better and his heart rate has gotten a bit stronger. I'll need to monitor him for twenty-four hours. I'm not sure when he'll wake." 

Gage let out a relieved sigh. That was good news at least. He just needed to tell the pack.

-

"Hey, Der, I don't know if you got my last voicemail, but in case you did, Stiles is...alive. He's still unconscious but Deaton says he's okay. We're not sure what's going on yet but...Deaton seems to think his spark saved his life. Anyway, just wanted to let you know," Gage hung up the phone and turned around to see a furious Malia. He had stepped out to call Derek.

"You called him?" Malia spat.

"He deserves to know, this is his pack-"

"No, this is your pack. He left us," Malia cut in, "He doesn't deserve anything."

Gage dropped his head. 

"You feel guilty," Malia could smell it on him.

A comment Lydia had made a while back echoed in his head.

"Stiles would never have gotten hurt if it had been Derek with him," Gage quoted the strawberry blonde. 

Malia opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't know what to say. He was right. Derek would have known Stiles was gonna turn himself in, Derek always knew what Stiles was gonna do before he did it. Stiles would probably be currently yelling at Derek if he had been here instead. 

Malia felt frustrated suddenly. She wasn't mad at Gage, she was mad at Derek, yet not for the typical reasons she normally was, but for not being here. 

Gage sensed Malia's frustration and reached for the girl, "It's okay to miss him as your alpha, I know you want to hate him for what he did to Stiles, but he was a good alpha." 

Malia growled under her breath.

"You don't have to pretend with me, I know you're just jealous, and that's okay," Gage spoke gently.

Malia snapped her head up to look at Gage, "How did you-?" 

"You broke up with Stiles, yet it's obvious you're not over the relationship," Gage shrugged.

"I could see how much he cared for Derek, it was too hard. I broke up with him to save myself the heartbreak. When Derek left, Stiles was devastated. Eventually we just didn't talk about Derek, but the rare occasion when he did come up, Stiles was always so defensive of him. It pissed me off. Then you showed up, and Stiles became just as defensive of you. I didn't understand how he could still feel that way towards Derek," Malia dropped her eyes to the floor in embarrassment.

"He couldn't help it," Deaton's voice spoke from behind the pair, "It was his spark. He felt like he had to protect Derek no matter what. When Gage showed up his spark connected with him because he's also a Hale and genetically the closest thing to Derek."

"Why would his spark effect that?" Gage frowned at the druid.

"Upon further research, I've discovered something. A spark can only be ignited by one of two ways, A traumatic event, or their matched alpha," Deaton explained.

"What is a matched alpha?" Malia asked curiously. 

"It's similar to a mate, but without the romantic feelings. When someone has a spark they aren't always meant to be an emissary. Some just have the natural ability to be magical, however a 'true emissary' as they're often called has an alpha that fate has tied them with. It's not common for a spark to meet their matched alpha. I was Talia Hale's 'true emissary'. When I met her, I didn't know anything about being a spark. Over time I noticed things. I had abilities I never had before. She had ignited my spark. Derek ignited Stiles' spark. His spark went unnoticed because Derek left. When Gage showed up, his spark slowly started to come to life. It's in full effect now. The incident forced it to the surface despite Derek's absence.   
Gage is his alpha so...he'll probably be more connected to you than he was before," Deaton turned to Gage who looked surprised. 

"Our mother had mentioned the connection between an emissary and their alpha being incredibly strong, but nothing was stronger than an alpha and their true emissary," Gage frowned, "I didn't understand at the time, but Laura was set to be the next alpha so it didn't matter," Gage shook his head. 

"She was right. The only connection that is stronger is a mate's," Deaton nodded.

"So Stiles was defensive of Derek because of his spark? But they argued all the time, wouldn't their connection have prevented that?" Malia asked looking at Deaton.

"No, the connection doesn't make you like each other in fact two people can actively hate each other and still be connected. It's a biological connection, similar to that of a parent and their child, only different," Deaton answered.

Gage frowned at the ground. Stiles was Derek's 'true emissary', he didn't know why but the knowledge of that cut through him. Almost like...jealousy? 

"Wouldn't Derek have known Stiles was his true emissary?" Gage asked suddenly, looking up.

"Perhaps, it's hard to know for sure," Deaton shrugged. 

Gage recalled Vance mentioning Derek's spark. Derek must have known then. Gage felt a newfound anger towards his brother. He knew Stiles was his emissary, and yet he left him? It didn't make sense.


	21. DNA sample

Stiles opened his eyes and slowly allowed his eyesight to adjust. He was currently in Deaton's examination room.

"Stiles, welcome back," Deaton grinned as Stiles carefully sat up.

"What-what happened?" He Couldn't remember anything after Vance had him against the wall.

"You nearly died," Deaton answered as he checked Stiles' vital signs. 

"I what?" Stiles squeaked. Surely Deaton was exaggerating.

"Your spark saved your life," Deaton explained as he inspected Stiles' eyes with his light.

"My spark..." Stiles said more to himself, "Derek wanted to get rid of my spark."

"Get rid of it?" Deaton drowned at Stiles.

"Vance said he was looking for a spell that would erase my spark because he didn't want to tie himself to me," Stiles explained.

"So he did know about your spark," Deaton nodded thoughtfully. 

"Is there such a spell?" Stiles asked worriedly. 

"There is one witch who succeeded in performing such a spell, however it only works if the spark hasn't been fully ignited," Deaton answered.

"Has mine?" Stiles asked.

"It has," Deaton smiled proudly. 

Stiles ran his hands over his face with a sigh.

"Stiles," Deaton spoke urgently grabbing Stiles arm.

"What?" Stiles asked panicked.

"Your arm, it's healed," Deaton examined where Gage had bitten Stiles' forearm. There was no sign of a wound.

"What are you talking about?" Stiles frowned looking at the spot Deaton was fixated on.

Deaton hurried to the door calling the pack in, before continuing to examine Stiles.

"Stiles," Gage gripped the human in a tight hug. 

"Gage, his arm," Deaton spoke up.

Gage pulled back looking at the arm where the bite had been. 

"It's gone," Gage said in surprise. He turned to Deaton, "what does this mean?"

"I'm not sure," Deaton answered honestly. 

"Hey, does somebody want to fill me in here?" Stiles waved his hands in frustration. 

All eyes landed on Gage.

"I...you were dying, I bit you in hopes of saving you," Gage spoke quietly.

Stiles looked down at his arm.

"Am I...?" Stiles couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'll need to do a DNA sample," Deaton answered. 

"I thought you said my spark saved me?" Stiles looked at the druid with confusion. 

"I thought it had, the bite wasn't healing. Your electrical currents were high..." Deaton trailed off, shaking his head.

"Could his spark have healed it?" Gage asked.

"It's unlikely. The chances of a spark healing you is very slim, I thought perhaps because it wasn't in full effect, that was how it was able to heal your throat. But perhaps your spark kept you alive long enough for the bite to take effect," Deaton spoke quickly as he worked on reading a sample of Stiles' blood.

"Wouldn't one cancel the other out?" Scott piped in. The rest of the pack remained silent as they watched Deaton.

"I would have thought," Deaton nodded. He pricked Stiles finger and turned back to his beakers.

"It healed," Stiles said staring down at his finger.

"Hmmm," Deaton turned from his microscope, "it appears you're both a werewolf and a druid."

Stiles looked down at his hands, "I'm a werewolf?" 

"Partly, your blood is only half. I don't know how that's possible," Deaton said looking back through his microscope. 

"I don't feel any different," Stiles frowned. He reached for the scalpel and cut a gentle line across his forearm. The cut remained for a moment before slowly healing shut.

"He heals slower than we do," Isaac noted.

"Can he shift?" Liam asked.

"Tonight's the full moon, we'll find out then," Scott answered. 

Stiles looked worried. 

"Hey, it's okay, I'll be with you the whole time, okay?" Gage grabbed both of Stiles' hands.

Stiles immediately relaxed. 

"Welcome to the club," Ethan patted Stiles' back gently.

"Ethan, what are you doing here?" Stiles asked realizing the werewolf's presence.

"Scott called and told me what happened, I had to make sure you were okay," Ethan smiled. 

Stiles smiled in return, it meant a lot that Ethan would show up for him.

"We should get you home, your first full moon is always the worst," Gage helped Stiles off of the table. 

"Call me if you need anything," Deaton said, looking between Stiles and Gage.

"Thank you," Gage gave the druid an appreciative smile.

"Might I suggest Ethan and Theo staying close by? With a rogue alpha after Stiles, you'll need all the backup you can get," Deaton suggested. 

"They can stay at the pack house with us," Gage nodded looking to the two werewolves. 

Stiles caught Theo's eye, but Gage was pulling him along before Stiles could say anything.

-

"Are you sure that's not too tight?" Gage asked as he checked the chains he had Stiles bound with.

"I'm fine, Gage," Stiles chuckled.

"Is this really necessary?" Malia huffed crossing her arms.

"I don't want to hurt anybody, Lia," Stiles gave the girl a reassuring smile.

"He could be stronger too, since he has a spark," Isaac pointed out.

"Hey, guys, could I talk to Theo alone for a second?" Stiles asked suddenly catching the werewolf's eye once again. 

"Only for a second, I don't want you out of my sight long," Gage agreed hesitantly.

Everyone left the living room, where Stiles was currently chained to a large metal pillar.

"Stiles," Theo knelt next to the druid.

Stiles had just enough slack to grip Theo in a hug.

Theo hugged back, melting into Stiles.

"It's been, what, six years?" Stiles asked pulling back.

"Something like that," Theo nodded.

"I missed you like crazy," Stiles sighed pressing his forehead to Theo's.

"I missed you too." 

The two didn't move for a moment before Stiles spoke again, "What are you doing here?"  

"I heard your name being thrown around in Volos, I couldn't believe you were caught up in the supernatural, I had to see you," Theo traced a few freckles on Stiles' cheek with his thumb, something he had always done before he moved.

"What were you doing in Greece?" Stiles asked leaning into Theo's touch. 

"I was bit a few years after we moved out of Beacon Hills, most of my pack was killed a year later and I heard about an alpha that managed a pack in Volos. He was feared by many and respected by the rest. I found him. He let me join his pack. When Derek outed us to the hunters, he was determined to come here, I had to follow him. He was out of his mind with rage, not seeing straight. When he attacked those kids...I knew I had to stop him. I managed to let one get away. I knew he'd come for you eventually. I couldn't let that happen," Theo explained. 

"Vance," Stiles said, frowning, "you're with Vance." 

"No, I'm not, when I attacked him he said if I ever crossed him again he'd kill me, I broke his one rule, stay loyal. I couldn't stand by while he hurt innocent kids," Theo shook his head, his voice breaking.

"Hey, it's okay," Stiles touched Theo's cheek instantly calming the werewolf. 

"I'm glad you're okay, I was so afraid when I saw you come in to Deaton's," Theo pressed his forehead to Stiles' again.

"I'm glad you're okay, he did a number on you," Stiles closed his eyes, enjoying the closeness with an old friend.

"Stiles," Gage spoke walking back into the living room.

Stiles and Theo separated, "Yeah?" 

"Isaac and Ethan are arguing, I'm not sure if I should intervene." 

Stiles sighed, "Tell Ethan I want to talk to him," 

A few moments later Ethan walked in with Gage behind him.

"How have you been, Ethan?" Stiles asked genuinely.

"Fine," Ethan shrugged. 

Stiles sensed Ethan was lying. 

"Ethan," Stiles said in a tone that told the werewolf he knew he was lying.

"I've been struggling with losing my alpha powers and you not needing my help anymore since Gage showed up. I miss having a pack," Ethan shrugged.

"You're welcome to join ours," Stiles said, giving the werewolf an encouraging smile.

"Derek would have a conniption if he found out I had joined his-"

"This isn't Derek's pack anymore," Stiles snapped. 

Ethan's jaw dropped as did Gage's.

"What?" Stiles frowned. 

"You're eyes," Ethan muttered.

"What about them?" Stiles frowned.

"They changed." 

Stiles glanced at Gage. 

"The moon is almost at it's peak, I'll get everyone else," Gage turned, hurrying out of the room.

"How do you feel," Ethan asked.

"Fine," Stiles shrugged. It was true he didn't feel anything. 

"You doing okay?" Scott asked kneeling next to his friend as the rest of the pack filed in around him.

"I feel like a circus animal," Stiles chuckled, looking at everyone's intense stares. 

"You're awfully chipper for someone who's about to shift for the first time," Malia commented. 

"I don't feel-" Stiles was cut off by a warmth spreading through him. He felt like his whole body had been shocked, he felt numb. 

A gasp filled the room as the feeling diminished.

"That was weird," Stiles blinked a few times.

The looks from his fellow pack members caused him to frown, "What?" 

"You sparked, like literally sparked," Scott answered.

"And you're eyes, they're-" Allison trailed off.

"What color are they?" Stiles asked.

The room grew tense suddenly. Stiles instantly knew why; He'd taken many innocent lives during his possession.

"They're blue aren't they?" Stiles asked looking to Gage who only nodded.

Stiles felt sick. Of course they were blue, because the overwhelming guilt wasn't enough of a reminder.


	22. Hybrid status

The room stood still as the pack watched Stiles. His eyes were bright blue but nothing else changed. 

"How do you feel?" Gage asked kneeling in front of the druid, werewolf hybrid.

"Fine, I guess," Stiles shrugged. He wasn't exactly happy with his eye color, but other than that he didn't feel anything.

"I think it's safe to unchain you," Gage started to unclasp the chains.

"Are you sure?" Stiles asked worriedly.

"You've seen all of them on their first full moon, I don't think your spark is going to let that happen," Gage nodded towards the other members of the pack. 

"So I guess I don't shift?" Stiles frowned looking down at his hands. 

Gage placed his hands in Stiles', "that's okay. You don't have to shift, you've got a spark," Gage smiled.

"My eyes change, what else can I do?" Stiles asked looking at the alpha.

"How's your hearing?" Ethan asked.

"It seems the same," Stiles shrugged.

"I'll go in the kitchen, see if you can hear me," Liam said hurrying off.

Stiles listened closely and barely heard Liam say he was coming back in. 

"Did you hear me?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, I had to really listen, and it wasn't super clear, but yeah, I heard you," Stiles  nodded. 

"Maybe your senses are just dulled a bit because of your spark?" Isaac suggested.

"That makes sense, you didn't heal as fast," Lydia nodded thoughtfully. 

"So what can I do with my spark?" Stiles asked.

"That would be a question for Deaton," Gage pulled Stiles to his feet. 

"Wait, where's Nathan?" Stiles asked suddenly noticing the boy wasn't there.

"Your dad took him home, the twenty-four hour holding time was up," Scott answered.

"But he could still be in danger, Vance is still out there," Stiles spoke worriedly. 

"Hey, your dad has two deputies watching the house tonight, I don't think he's going to be terribly interested in Nathan. He's more interested in you, or was, anyway," Gage touched Stiles' arm gently.

"Do you think he left?" Stiles asked hopefully.

"No, I know Vance, and he would want to make sure Derek suffered. My bet is he knows Stiles is alive and he's planning on making sure Derek knows that Stiles' spark is in full effect. I just don't know if that will be enough for him," Theo spoke up. 

"You know Vance? How?" Malia snapped.

"Hey, it's okay, he's on our side. He was a part of Vance's pack," Stiles put his hand on Malia's arm. 

She instantly relaxed.

"He's the one who saved Nathan," Allison added.

"Look, let's all get some rest tonight, and we'll figure out our next move in the morning," Gage said sensing the unease in the room.

"Ethan, why don't you bunk with Isaac. Theo, you can stay with me," Stiles suggested. The room paused as everyone looked at Isaac for a reaction.

"You're kidding right?" Isaac asked tossing a glare at Ethan.

"Not at all, you two have some tension I think needs to be sorted out. If you're both gonna be in a pack together, I can't have you two tearing each other's throats out," Stiles said seriously.

Isaac clenched his jaw. The pack never spoke out against Stiles, he was basically their alpha, and they respected him as such, but Isaac looked to Gage for help.

"You heard him," Gage snapped.

Isaac let out a heavy sigh before turning to Ethan, "Follow me," 

Gage smirked at Stiles, "I see what you did there."

"I told you a while back I thought they had a thing for each other, this ought to get them together finally," Stiles grinned.

"And you and Theo?" Gage raised a brow. 

"Have some catching up to do," Stiles said before sliding his hand into Theo's.

Gage watched with curious eyes as Stiles pulled Theo after him.

-

"I don't think Gage likes the fact that I'm staying with you tonight," Theo spoke as he looked at the pictures on Stiles' dresser, "You two seem quite close."

"You're not jealous are you?" Stiles asked with a small smirk. 

"I'd be lying if I said no," Theo admitted.

"Oh," Stiles hadn't been expecting Theo to actually admit that. 

"Stiles, what you and I had...it was real. I've never felt that with anyone else. When I heard you were here and mixed up in..." Theo waved his hands around gently, "all this, I wanted nothing more than to see you. I never imagined you'd want me back, but I still wanted to see you. You're so different now, you're a human, or you were, running your own pack. You're still you though," Theo grabbed Stiles' hands in his. 

"Theo, of course I'd want you back. I loved you, it killed me when you left," Stiles stepped in closer to Theo pressing his head to Theo's. 

Theo put his hands in either side of Stiles' face, "I loved you too, Stiles." 

Stiles pressed in connecting their lips. 

 

When the two parted Theo's hands found Stiles' again.

"You haven't changed either," Stiles smiled, "it's like you never left."

Theo dropped his eyes to their intertwined hands.

"What's wrong?" Stiles frowned slightly. Theo seemed hesitant.

"Gage," Theo answered not looking away from their hands.

"Gage is my friend and my alpha, nothing more," Stiles shook his head. Why did Theo think there was something between him and Gage?

"And what about Derek?" Theo asked, his eyes meeting Stiles'.

Stiles tensed. 

Theo smelled the betrayal and sadness Stiles felt.

"He was going to smother my spark. Vance said he was looking for a spell to rid me of my spark so that he didn't have to tie himself to me. He hates me. No matter what I felt or feel about Derek, he's always hated me, that much is clear," Stiles pulled his hands from Theo's.

Theo frowned, "Did you love him?" 

Stiles bit at his bottom lip, "Not in a romantic way, but...I loved him as my friend and my alpha. I trusted him.

Theo pulled Stiles into a hug. He didn't know what to say to make him feel better so he just held him.

-

Isaac stopped at his door, he sensed the tension between him and Ethan.

"Look, I don't know why you're joining the pack all of a sudden but Stiles wants us to get along...I don't like to disappoint Stiles, he's been through enough so, can we not kill each other tonight?" Isaac asked with a defeated sigh. 

"I don't want to disappoint Stiles either," Ethan nodded.

"So we agree," Isaac nodded back before opening his door.

"That's a first," Ethan snorted. 

"I guess that means it is possible," Isaac chuckled.

"That's the thing with Stiles, he's the common denominator for all of us, our number one priority," Ethan followed Isaac inside.

"He's always made all of us a priority, it's only fair," Isaac nodded.   
He hoped Stiles would be okay, he could sense Stiles' stress and sadness. He wasn't sure how the guy would manage his new hybrid status, but one thing he knew for sure, his pack would be with him every step of the way.


	23. Run

The wind rustled the trees surrounding the pack. Gage stood close to Stiles as he lead the way through the reserve to a large clearing. 

"Stiles, are you sure about this?" Gage asked, glancing around nervously.

"You're all here, it'll be fine. I need to know what I'm capable of," Stiles answered reassuringly. 

Gage let out a sigh but nodded. 

Stiles put a hand up signaling the pack to stop. He took several steps from them before holding his hand out. Deaton had told him to concentrate on a memory that upset him. It would be the best way to enact his spark and learn the feeling of it.

He closed his eyes and thought of the moment Malia broke up with him. Nothing.  
He then thought of the time he almost cost his dad his job. Again, nothing.

Taking a deep breath, he thought of the moment Peter had told him Derek had left town. Still nothing.

"I don't know what memory is supposed to trigger this. I've thought of multiple, including finding out Derek left. None of them are working," Stiles huffed. 

"What about what you told me last night...about Derek..." Theo suggested gently.

"What about Derek?" Gage frowned. Stiles hadn't said anything to him. 

"Derek left because he was looking for a witch to do a spell that would remove my spark," Stiles answered.

"What? Why would he do that?" Scott spoke up.

"He didn't want to tie himself to me so he wanted to have my spark ripped from me, as if it was his choice to make," Stiles snapped angrily.

"I'm sure, there's a good reason," Lydia frowned though she wasn't sure.

"What reason could possibly justify casting a spell that would destroy a part of who I am?" Stiles scoffed. He was getting pissed. 

"Derek's not exactly the type to be close to anyone, I'm sure it wasn't personal," Isaac tried to ease the anger Stiles was feeling. 

"It doesn't matter, that's not his decision to make," Stiles barked, his eyes turning bright blue and sparks spraying from his hands.

Stiles looked down to see the electricity in the veins of his hands. 

 

He directed his hand forcefully in the direction of a low hanging tree branch. A spark struck the branch ripping it from the rest of the tree. 

The pack let out a shocked gasp. 

"Your spark is tied to your anger," Gage said sadly. He knew why Derek wanted to get rid of Stiles' spark, but he didn't have the heart to tell him. How could he possibly tell Stiles that he was Derek's true emissary and that Derek knew and didn't want him? Stiles hurt enough. 

"Something is wrong," Stiles said suddenly looking around nervously. 

"What?" Gage asked stepping in close to Stiles as he scanned the surrounding area.

"I'm not sure, I can just sense it," Stiles frowned unable to explain what he was feeling.

"It's me, you sense me," Vance spoke stepping out of the trees. 

Gage let out a threatening growl as he put himself between Stiles and the alpha. Vance had snuck up on them by approaching upwind so they wouldn't catch his scent, clever. 

"Theo, I see you've aligned yourself with the enemy," Vance snarled. 

"They aren't the enemy, Vance. This is between you and Derek," Theo stepped up next to Gage.

"Oh, I'm well aware, which is why I'm here. Stiles, you're still alive, and a special type of hybrid now, much more interested than the boring human you were before. I think I'll make you my emissary after all. There's nothing that would piss Derek off more," Vance grinned.

"Vance, don't," Theo said, his tone pleading.

"If you promise to stay out of this, you can have him as your little boyfriend, I'll allow you a pardon. That's why you're on their side, isn't it? Because of your feelings for Stiles?" Vance smirked.

"Stiles and I agreed to be friends," Theo shook his head.

"Let me guess, the hybrid is in love with the alpha," Vance snickered.

"Gage," Liam spoke up nervously, "There's more, I think he's got us surrounded." 

Gage whipped around to see wolves stepping out around them.

"Leon? Gabriel? Amelia?" Theo frowned turning to Vance, "you brought the rest of the pack?" 

"I needed backup, experienced backup," Vance smirked.

"Vance, please don't do this," Theo begged. He knew how strong his old pack was. He couldn't let them hurt Gage's pack.

"Don't touch the druid," Vance ordered as he signaled his pack to attack. 

Six wolves lunged at Gage's pack.

Allison pulled a blade from her boot and tossed it to Lydia before pulling out two more from her thighs. The rest of the pack extended their claws and fangs. 

"Stiles, listen to me, I need you to run, take Gage and go," Theo said to Stiles.

"No, we're not leaving," Gage snapped.

"I'll distract Vance as long as I can, you need to get Stiles out of here," Theo's claws extended as he turned to Vance.

"Theo, he'll kill you," Stiles objected,

"Not if I help," Liam stepped up next to Theo.

"Be careful," Gage said before grabbing Stiles' hand.

"Go," Theo yelled when Stiles hesitated.

The two bolted into the woods. They ran as quickly as they could. 

After a few moments they heard someone advancing on them. 

"Stiles, no matter what happens you keep running you understand me?" Gage ordered.

Stiles didn't answer. 

Suddenly they were cut off by one of Vance's beta's. 

The pair halted. 

"Stiles, run, I'll be right there, go," Gage snapped. 

Stiles knew Gage could handle a beta so he did as he was told and he ran. 

Stiles let his feet carry him as fast as he could. He was almost to the old hale house when a hand grabbed his arm pulling him off his path.

Stiles started to flail and fight.

"Stiles, shhh, hey, calm down," Gage said putting his hands up to show he wasn't trying to hurt him.

"Oh, thank god, I was so worried about you," Stiles threw himself into Gage gripping the alpha in a tight hug.

Gage tensed for a moment before carefully putting an arm around Stiles.

"Stiles!" A voice yelled his name. 

He knew that voice. 

Stiles immediately let go of Gage and pulled back. 

"Stiles, you're okay," 

Stiles turned to see Gage breathless and bloody. If this was Gage then...

Stiles turned back around. Tight jeans, leather jacket, and a scowl.

Derek.


	24. You've already done enough

"Derek," Gage said, his voice full of surprise at the sight of his brother. 

"Gage," Derek said in a fond tone.

The two took a few steps towards each other before embracing.

"Gage," Stiles' spoke worriedly. He had that feeling again, something was gonna happen.

"What's wrong?" Gage asked pulling from his brother.

"I feel it again,"

"Well, now I'm just flattered," Vance emerged from the depths of the woods. 

Gage snarled as he pulled Stiles behind him and Derek.

"Vance, what are you doing here?" Derek frowned at the familiar alpha. 

"Derek," Vance sneered, "Come to see my handy work in person, have you?"

Derek frowned in confusion.

Vance gestured to Stiles.

"Leave the rest of the pack alone, you've already done enough," Stiles snapped turning to Vance.

"I told you, I'm gonna make you my emissary," Vance grinned maliciously.

Derek let out a deep growl.

"Why are you here?" Derek demanded. He saw no reason for Vance to be here,

"You got half my pack killed, I'm just getting what's owed to me," Vance snapped at Derek.

"Got half your pack killed? What are you talking about?" Derek frowned. Last he knew, he and Vance parted ways on good terms.

"The hunters found us the day after you left. Coincidence? I think not," Vance snapped again, his eyes turning alpha red.

"I didn't tell them where you were," Derek growled. He really hadn't. He didn't know how the hunters found Vance's pack but he hadn't told them.

"You were the only one who knew where we were." 

"I don't know how they found you, but it wasn't me."

"Call off your pack, I'll go with you," Stiles spoke up then.

"No, you won't," Derek snapped at Stiles.

"Deal," Vance nodded.

"Stiles, what are you doing?" Gage grabbed Stiles' arm. 

"His pack is still out there, ours might be in serious trouble. He wants me," Stiles answered.

"Call off your pack," Stiles ordered, looking at Vance.

Vance let out an ear piercing whistle, "It's done."

Stiles nodded,

"Stiles-"

"Gage, please," Stiles pulled from the alpha's grasp.

Derek let out a snarl before lunging at Vance. 

The two were tangled in a mess of claws and fangs. Derek slashed at Vance who bit at Derek. 

Stiles, felt his spark tingling beneath his skin. His spark didn't like the fact that Derek was being attacked. Stiles looked down to see his hand had a blue glow spreading through his palm. He felt the power surging through him. Taking a deep breath he aimed and directed all his anger towards the fighting alpha's.

"Stiles, wait, you could hurt Dere-"

It was too late, a bright light shot from Stiles' hands. A loud thunder sounded as the blast hit the ground where Derek and Vance were fighting. The blast managed to separate the two without hurting them. But Stiles wasn't done. He stepped towards Vance, his eyes glowing bright blue. 

"Well well, look at you," Vance said in surprise, "I never expected blue eyes on you. And yet you still have your spark. I might have guessed your little alpha would give you the bite." 

Stiles saw a flash of fear in Vance's eyes as he knelt down over the alpha.

"Like I said, you've already done enough," Stiles snapped before pressing his palm to Vance's chest.

The alpha let out a cry of pain as Stiles let the anger surge through him. 

Stiles stumbled back, a bit dizzy. 

"Stiles?" Derek asked his tone full of concern.

Stiles stood turning to the twins. Derek looked hurt and confused. 

 

"Stiles, are you okay?" Gage asked looking at the worn out hybrid.

Stiles turned to look at Gage. He felt his eyes shift back to their whiskey brown and the spark within him die down.

"Gage," Stiles spoke quietly before throwing himself into the alpha. 

Gage wrapped his arms around Stiles, holding him close, "You're okay," Gage spoke, pressing his lips to Stiles hair. 

"Gage," Scott's voice broke the pair up. 

Stiles turned to see the pack in rough shape, but alive. He let out a relieved sigh. 

"What happened?" Malia asked looking down at a now dead Vance.

"Stiles," Gage answered glancing at the hybrid.

Stiles turned to where Derek had been standing, but he wasn't there. Had he imagined him? 

"Gage," Stiles said, his tone quiet.

Gage turned to see what Stiles was looking at. Derek was gone.

"He's..." Stiles trailed off.

"Take the pack home, I'll find him," Gage said gently putting a hand on Stiles' shoulder.

-

Derek stormed into his old loft, "Peter!" 

"Why all the yelling, I'm right here?" Peter spoke walking down the stairs.

"You were supposed to keep him safe," Derek snapped.

"He's alive, is he not?" Peter shrugged, sitting on the couch. 

"When did Gage get here?" Derek demanded. 

"Why don't you ask him yourself," Peter gestured to the door Derek had left open.

"Gage," Derek growled. He stomped towards his brother, shoving him against the wall, "you gave him the bite?" 

"He was dying, I didn't have a choice," Gage answered.

"Why are you here?" Derek demanded.

"I decided it was time to come back, but you were gone. The pack let me be their alpha,"  Gage answered again, he was calm. He knew hostility never worked with Derek.

"How long?" Derek growled.

"A few months," Gage could sense Derek's anger and hurt.

"Stiles' spark, it's in full effect, when did that happen?" Derek asked his voice breaking slightly. 

"It's been more and more active but didn't take full effect until Vance crushed his throat. Deaton says his spark kept him alive long enough for the bite to take effect," Gage answered gently. 

Derek released his brother, backing away from him. All the months he spent looking for the spell, wasted. Stiles was a spark. And not only a spark but a werewolf too. 

"I'm sorry, Derek, I did everything I could but...I'm not you," Gage took a step towards his brother.

Derek felt his resolve crumble. He dropped to his knees as tears pricked his eyes.

"Derek," Gage knelt next to his brother.

Derek looked up with a new pain in his eyes, Gage had never seen before, "I tried so hard to protect him, to keep him safe. I never wanted this for him. He was supposed to stay human." 

"Derek, he's your true emissary, he was never supposed to stay human," Gage frowned.

"What? How did you know that?" Derek frowned at his brother.

"Deaton," Gage answered.

"I should have guessed he'd know," Derek sighed, dropping his head.

"Is it true? Were you going to smother Stiles' spark?" Gage asked. He knew it was a dangerous thing to approach Derek with, but he had to know.

Derek jerked his head back up, "Where did you hear that?" 

Gage dropped his eyes to the ground, "Stiles," 

Derek felt like he'd been kicked. How had Stiles found out? He wasn't supposed to know. 

"Is it true?" Gage didn't want to believe it. How could his brother do something like that?

"He can't be my emissary, I can't let anyone be responsible for me, I can't be tied to anyone. I'm better off alone," Derek said his voice breaking again.

"Derek, that's not true, you know you're strongest in a pack, and even stronger with an emissary. Stiles is amazing. He was amazing as a human and he's going to be an amazing emissary," Gage frowned.

"I know, but it's dangerous. Emissaries are a target, I barely managed to keep him safe as a human, now he's gonna have a target on his back just for being an emissary. Once people find out he's not tied to an alpha he'll have even more of a target on his back. And god help us all if they find out he's a werewolf, druid hybrid. He'll never be safe," Derek's hands were in fists at his side. 

"He could be tied to an alpha, he could be tied to his matched alpha," Gage said gently. He knew Derek would reject the idea, but he had to try.

"No, I told you, I can't," Derek shook his head. 

"You know, Derek's not the only alpha," Peter piped up.

The two brothers looked at Peter. Gage held a strong glare while Derek frowned.

"Stiles could be tied to Gage, after all, his spark responds to him as well," Peter shrugged.

Gage looked at Derek who smelled strongly of jealousy.

"Ooh, someone doesn't like that idea," Peter grinned.

"Nothing has to be decided right now," Gage snapped at Peter, flashing his eyes.

"It's cute how you think that'll work on me," Peter smirked.

"Derek, come on, let me take you home, Stiles wants to see you," Gage glared at their uncle as he pulled Derek to his feet.

Derek clenched his jaw. If Stiles wanted to see him, it couldn't be for good reasons. Derek wasn't ready to face Stiles, but he wasn't sure he ever would be.


	25. Is it true?

Stiles paced the living room anxiously waiting for Gage to return.

"Are you sure it was Derek and not just Gage?" Scott asked cautiously, he knew how stressed Stiles was, he could smell it.

"Unless Gage hugged himself, I'm pretty damn sure," Stiles snapped. He didn't mean to be so irritable, but he was upset. Derek was just all of a sudden back. Why? 

"Hey, look at me," Theo touched Stiles' chin carefully making Stiles look into Theo's blue eyes, "We're all right here, okay, no matter what happens, no matter what is said, remember we're here for you."

Stiles let out a sigh. Theo was right. It didn't matter what Derek said or did, he had his pack behind him. 

"Try not to piss him off too badly, he's had a rough couple of days as it is." 

Stiles heard Gage's voice outside the front door. He took in a deep breath as the handle turned slowly.

Gage stepped inside with Derek behind him. The room was silent. 

"He'd gone to see Peter, just like you said he would," Gage said his voice quiet as he stepped away from his brother.

"Why are you back?" Stiles asked, his tone surprisingly calm despite his nerves and anger.

"Gage called me, he said you were...hurt," Derek answered carefully.

"You called him? Why would you do that?" Stiles turned to Gage.

Gage dropped his eyes to the ground, "I knew he'd want to know."

"Bullshit, If he cared at all, he wouldn't have left," Stiles snapped before turning back to Derek.

"Stiles, I had my reasons," 

"Is it true?" Stiles asked.

Derek closed his eyes before dropping them to the floor in front of him, "Stiles-"

"Is it true?" Stiles asked again just as calmly.

"Yes," Derek sighed.

Stiles nodded taking a few steps closer to his ex alpha, "So did you find it?"

"Stiles, I-"

"Did you find it?" Stiles snapped cutting Derek off mid sentence.

"No," Derek answered with another sigh.

Stiles felt the anger swell inside him. Before he could think about what he was doing, his fist connected with Derek's cheek. 

Derek touched the small cut as it healed quickly. Stiles' eyes were bright blue. He was pissed.

"Stiles, remember your spark responds to your anger right now," Gage said gently taking a cautious step towards the hybrid. 

Stiles ignored Gage as he glared at Derek.

"Stiles, I don't expect you to understand," Derek spoke carefully. He knew provoking Stiles would only make things worse.

"Good," Stiles snapped.

"But at least let me explain myself," 

"Explain yourself? How do you plan on explaining the fact that you ditched your pack to find some spell to strip me of a spark I didn't even know I had?!" Stiles' scoffed, his voice raising as he spoke.

"I couldn't say anything, it was safer that way, the less you knew, the better," Derek spoke calmly.

"Yeah, sure let's keep Stiles in the dark about a supernatural ability he has, that's so much better," Stiles snapped, rolling his eyes.

"It's more complicated than that. Do you even know what being a spark means? The responsibility that comes with it?" Derek was losing his cool.

"Yeah, actually, but no thanks to you," 

"It's dangerous, Stiles," 

"Dangerous, or inconvenient?" Stiles snapped again. 

Derek let out a frustrated huff.

"Look, I get not wanting to be tied to me or whatever, but that doesn't give you the right to try and strip me of my spark. Did you even care how I might feel about it?" Stiles asked though he knew the answer.

"Your life is more important than your feelings, Stiles," Derek growled. The familiarity of their arguing was almost soothing to Derek. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed Stiles.

"Right, because you care so much," Stiles sneered sarcastically.

"I know this may be hard for you to grasp, but most of what I do is to keep you and this pack safe," Derek snapped.

"That's why you disappeared?" Stiles crossed his arms. He was surprised no one else had piped in yet, but they knew this was ultimately between Derek and Stiles.

"I was looking for the spell," Derek said trying to calm himself down, he was getting pissed. He knew Stiles wouldn't be understanding but he was a lot more confrontational than he had expected.

"To smother my spark," Stiles threw his hands up in frustration, "There is no part of this that's okay. You left without a word, no goodbye, no 'hey I'll be back', nothing. I thought you were dead at one point, I was genuinely worried for you. But that didn't matter to you, so long as you didn't have to tie yourself to me," Stiles's voice was almost a full on yell now.

"Your right, I didn't want to tie myself to you, and I didn't want you tied to anybody else so I thought the best way to handle that would be to eliminate your spark. You didn't even know you had it, it's not like you were going to miss it," Derek raised his voice to match Stiles'.

"Oh so you don't want me but no one else can have me, is that it?" Stiles felt the tingling beneath his skin. 

"I'm your alpha, of course I don't want anyone else to have you," Derek snapped.

"News flash, you're not my alpha," Stiles snapped back, tossing a glance towards Gage.

Derek tensed. Those words were like needles in his spine. The fact that Gage was actually Stiles' legitimate alpha hadn't occurred to Derek. Derek felt a sudden anger towards his brother he'd never felt before.

"Don't even think about blaming him, the only reason I got turned in the first place is because of you. Vance came after me, because of you. He wanted payback and he thought the best way would be through me," Stiles saw the familiar anger in Derek's eyes.

"So what, I'm gone a month and you replace me with my brother?" Derek snapped.

"You were gone for three months before Gage showed up. He earned his spot as alpha. And might I remind you that you never even told us about him? I had to pull records on your family to check. It seemed like something that might come up in the two years I've known you, but you can't be bothered to trust anyone other than yourself,"

"You have just as many trust issues as I do, so don't play that card," Derek growled. His calm was completely gone and he knew if he wasn't careful Stiles was going to cause him to say or do something stupid or rash, or both.

"I trusted you," Stiles said, his tone breaking slightly.

Derek felt his chest tighten at the sadness Stiles was letting off suddenly, 

"I guess it only makes sense that I'd live up to the disappointment I'm known for," Derek sneered. He was putting up the walls that Stiles so easily tore down whenever he was near. Derek couldn't have those walls down when Stiles was feeling this way, he was Derek's weakness.

"You think you can just come traipsing back here like some hotshot alpha? You might have been the king before, but let me let you in on a little secret, I cleared the chess board when you left, Gage is king now, I have no use for you," With that Stiles stepped past the alpha and out the front door, leaving a broken Derek behind him.


	26. Didn't think he'd care

Derek clenched his hands in fists. Stiles' words cut deep.

"Derek, I'm sorry-" 

"Don't," Derek said in an almost pleading tone, cutting his brother off.

"You really hurt him by leaving," Lydia spoke up gently.

Derek looked to the strawberry blonde, "I didn't think he'd care."

"Didn't think he'd care? Stiles has been there for you every step of the way, how could you think he wouldn't care?" Malia snapped. 

"Malia," Gage said in a warning tone. The last thing he needed was to keep those two from killing each other. 

"I just have to say this and I'll let it go," Malia nodded towards Gage before turning back to Derek, "When you left, Stiles was devastated. He visited Peter regularly asking for updates on you, he worried himself sick, literally. He barely slept and he had nightmares about your death for weeks. You may not like it, but you were important to Stiles and you left him. You didn't just leave us without an alpha, you left Stiles. Knowing he'd bare the responsibility, you took off. He was pissed that you left us without an alpha, but more than that, he was crushed that you left him. He blamed himself, then to find out why you left, he blames himself even more. You may have thought Stiles didn't care, but nobody cared more."

Derek felt his chest tighten even more at Malia's words. 

"I assumed Scott would fill my alpha roll quickly, I knew Stiles could manage it without me, I just didn't want his spark to..." Derek trailed off.

"Why?" Allison spoke up next, "What's so bad about Stiles being an emissary?"

Derek averted his eyes. He didn't want to say it out loud. 

"Stiles isn't just an emissary, he's Derek's true emissary. Meaning, the reason Stiles' spark even started to surface was because it was responding to Derek," Gage answered.

Derek looked up with a frown, "how did you know?" 

"Deaton figured it out," Gage answered.

"You felt responsible, so you wanted to use the spell to get rid of his spark," Scott nodded in understanding.

"I don't understand, why not just let him be your emissary? You always said an alpha with an emissary is stronger," Liam asked.

"Being an emissary makes you a target, I didn't want that for Stiles, plus I refuse to let Stiles feel responsible for me. I care too little about my life to let Stiles risk his for mine," Derek answered honestly.

"Why would you say that?" Gage frowned at his brother. It was clear it hurt Gage to hear his brother talk like that.

"Because it's true, Stiles has so much to live for and so many people that would miss him. I don't have anyone," Derek shook his head with a hard frown burried into his features.

"You have us," Isaac piped in quietly.

"Even after leaving?" Derek asked doubtfully.

"It wasn't the smartest idea and it was a shitty thing to do, but you always have Stiles' best intentions at heart," Scott answered.

Derek's frown deepened further, "You're not mad at me?" 

"Oh we're still mad, but we get it," Liam corrected him.

"Besides, it's not us you need to worry about forgiving you, Stiles is the one you really care about anyway," Allison smirked.

"You heard him, he has no use for me anymore," Derek huffed, he knew he was showing a more vulnerable side to him, but he was too tired to keep up his emotionless, don't give a shit facade.

"You love him," Lydia said suddenly, smiling widely.

"What?" Derek snapped his head up towards the banshee. 

"You're body language has romantic feelings written all over it, and why else would you go to such lengths to keep him from being an emissary. You don't want him as your emissary, but you can't stand the thought of him being anyone else's emissary. You love him," Lydia grinned proudly at her revelation.

Derek gaped at the redhead. How did she even know how to read his body language? 

Lydia, noticing the confused stares, rolled her eyes, "I got bored and enrolled in a couple online college classes. It was a psychology course," She shrugged.

"I don't have any romantic feelings for Stiles," Derek objected sharply. 

"Denial. You're afraid he'll never return your feelings so you try to convince yourself that you don't feel the way you do," Lydia grinned again.

"You're wrong," Derek growled.

"Say what you will, but I passed the class with a hundred, so I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about," Lydia crossed her arms over her chest.

"Okay, Derek, why don't we get you settled in to a room upstairs, the rest of you give him some space," Gage interfered before Derek had a complete mental breakdown.

 

-

 

Stiles knocked on the door to Derek's old loft.

"Stiles, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Peter smiled as he allowed Stiles in.

"I just had a conversation with Derek for the first time since his disappearance and I wanted to come by his old place. It calms me when I'm upset about him," Stiles answered sheepishly.

"By all means, calm down," Peter gestured to the familiar room.

"No flirty comments or hitting on me?" Stiles raised a suspicious brow at Peter.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you your eyes are stunning no matter what color they are?" Peter smiled from his spot on the couch. 

Stiles felt a small smile tug at his lips. Peter was a creepy asshole sometimes but he was charming as well. Stiles would never admit it out loud but he was flattered Peter took notice of him. It helped Stiles' self esteem issues. He never told anyone, but the main reason he visited Peter everyday after Derek left was because Peter made him feel good about himself. He needed that, especially when he was at such a low point.

"And I'm sorry that my nephew is an idiot," Peter added causing Stiles' smile to grow, despite his best efforts.

"Much better," Peter grinned in satisfaction.

Stiles walked towards the large window. 

"For what it's worth..." 

"Don't excuse his actions," Stiles narrowed his eyes at Peter.

"I'm not, I'm simply pointing out the fact that his heart was in the right place," Peter shrugged innocently. 

Stiles scoffed, "Derek doesn't have a heart, and if he did, it wouldn't be in the right place." 

Peter chuckled, "he's gonna have a hard time earning your forgiveness." 

Stiles turned back to the window without responding. He wanted to hate Derek for the rest of his life, but he knew he couldn't. That didn't mean he had to forgive him for what he did to Stiles and what he was going to do to Stiles.


	27. Close

Derek walked down the hall and towards the stairs when he paused in front of a room. The door was left partially opened and the scent caught Derek's attention. Stiles. 

He gently stepped inside. The room was set up just like it had been at his dad's house. The familiar bed sheets reminded Derek of the three days he'd stayed at Stiles' when he and Scott had blamed him for murder. He smiled at the memory of Stiles trying to convince Derek to sleep in his bed.

"Come on, it's my fault you're even stuck staying here, just take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor," Stiles gestured to the floor next to his bed.

"Stiles, shut up and go to bed," Derek snapped as he flipped the pages of a book he'd snagged off the shelf. 

"What are you gonna do, read all night?" Stiles huffed.

"There's an alpha running around trying to kill you and Scott. I think it's safer if I stay up," Derek growled, not looking up.

"Whatever, suit yourself," Stiles threw his hands up in defeat.

Derek had stayed up. But once Stiles left for school he locked Stiles' door and layed down on the bed. He slept while Stiles was in school. It was the best sleep he'd had in a while. He never told Stiles but he suspected Stiles knew. Stiles was too smart to not have realized, especially since he didn't offer to give Derek the bed again.

Derek turned to the dresser of picture frames. He saw all the same pictures that Stiles had before, but there was a new one that caught Derek's eye. It was Stiles and Gage. Stiles was sitting between Gage's legs and was reclined with his back to Gage's chest. Gage had his arms around Stiles and the two were oblivious to the camera. 

Derek picked up the picture as he fought to ignore the aching in his chest. Stiles looked to be mid-sentence while Gage was listening with a smile. 

"Lydia took that. Stiles was trying to convince us that pineapple didn't belong on pizza. Isaac and him were having a serious debate about it," Gage's voice said from behind Derek.

Derek turned to his brother. "You two seem close." 

"Since when do you get jealous?" Gage raised a brow at Derek.

"I'm not, " Derek objected as he put the picture back.

"I can smell it," Gage rolled his eyes.

"I'm glad you two get along," Derek disagreed. 

"Being glad we get along and being glad we're close are two different things," Gage crossed his arms over his chest. 

"It's just difficult to see my pack with another alpha, even if it is you," Derek sighed. He knew he could be honest with Gage.

"About that..." Gage shifted his weight a bit.

"I'm not going to ask you to step down," Derek said, knowing where Gage was going with that. 

"Actually, I want to."

Derek turned to his brother, "What? Why? They trust you and they like you better than me." 

"They're different than a regular pack. I mean, one is a hunter, another is a banshee, Ethan is an ex alpha, Stiles was human but now he's a spark werewolf hybrid thing. I'm not equipped to run this pack. Stiles basically ran it and I was just the official alpha. But the pack told me something that has been bothering me, especially since Stiles got turned," Gage shifted his weight again. 

"They said Stiles would never have gotten hurt if you'd been here. You knew what Stiles was gonna do before he did it. If you'd been here, Stiles would never have snuck out and turned himself in to Vance," Gage dropped his eyes to the ground. 

"Gage-"

"Stiles got hurt every time we went up against something," 

"Stiles will run head first into danger and not think twice," Derek said taking a step towards his brother. Gage was getting upset.

"I know that now. We had our first argument the other day. Vance said he'd leave if we gave him Stiles. I wasn't about to let that happen but Stiles wanted to go. We fought, I said something a bit harsh and he dropped it. I thought I'd won." Gage frowned at the memory. 

"If Stiles ever drops an argument, you've already lost," Derek chuckled. 

"And you know that, I don't," Gage sighed.

"I've known him for two years," Derek could sense Gage's guilt.

"That's why you're better suited to lead your pack." 

"They won't like it," 

"I've already spoken to Malia, she agrees with me, and trust me, if she agrees, the rest of the pack will too," Gage looked at his brother carefully.

"And Stiles? You heard him, your his alpha, not me." Derek forced his tone to remain even. It hurt to say.

"Let me handle him," 

Derek wanted to object but he knew Gage would have an easier time talking to Stiles than he would.

-

"So let me get this straight, you killed Vance by yourself? But your not an alpha?" Peter frowned at Stiles. 

"I know, Deaton doesn't understand it either. He's doing some research for me," Stiles shook his head. 

"Now, I just have to ask, how long are you planning on avoiding my nephews? Don't get me wrong, I love that you'd rather be here with me but, I imagine it won't take long for them to come knocking down my door looking for you," Peter looked at Stiles, gauging his reaction.

Stiles sighed, "Honestly I don't want to see Derek. And Gage is probably going to try to play referee, and I don't feel like dealing with it."

"Well it'll probably earn me a punch to the face, but your welcome to my bed." Peter smiled. 

Stiles rolled his eyes, "I'm not surprised you'd say that." 

"I'll even sleep on the couch, like the gentleman I am," Peter said putting his hands up in a gesture of innocence. 

"I think we'd both get raked over the coals if I stayed," Stiles chuckled. He appreciated Peter showing restraint as far as his flirting went. 

Stiles stood from the stool he'd been sitting on at what had been the old pack table. He knew he couldn't avoid Derek forever.

"Well if you ever need anywhere to go to get away, my door is always open to you," Peter stood as well.

"While I'm under no illusion that your generosity isn't purely selfish, I do appreciate it," 

Stiles left with a heaviness on his shoulders, he knew that what was awaiting him at home wouldn'tbe fun. It made him miss the days before Derek left. He never dreaded seeing the alpha, no matter how much they fought. Now though, he couldn't think of anything he dreaded more.


	28. Better suited

Stiles walked into the house only for it to fall silent. The pack was gathered around the dining room table. 

"What's going on?" Stiles frowned, looking to Gage.

"Stiles, good timing, we are actually having a pack meeting." Gage looked tense as he spoke.

"You didn't call me?" 

"I wanted to give you time," Gage answered. 

"So what is this about?" Stiles asked gesturing to the table. 

No one said a word. 

"Gage," Stiles looked at his alpha with a questioning stare.

"I...." Gage trailed off. 

Derek could sense the nerves his brother was feeling.

"Look, Stiles-" Derek started.

Gage cut his brother off, "Derek, I said let me handle him,"

Stiles narrowed his eyes at the twins.

"Stiles, now that Derek is back...I'm stepping down as alpha. He's-"

"What?!" Stiles snapped. Had he just heard right? 

"He knows this pack better than I do. He's better suited to-"

"Just stop," Stiles held up his hand. He didn't want to hear what Gage had to say. 

"I know you don't like it, but if he had been here instead of me, you never would have gotten hurt like you did. Derek's priority has always been the pack's safety." Gage looked to Derek who stood quietly behind him.

"That's just it, Derek wasn't here, because he left," Stiles snapped shooting a glare at Derek.

"Stiles, I'm sorry, but this is how it's going to be," Gage sighed. He hated arguing with Stiles. 

Stiles turned to the pack, "You're okay with this?" 

"Stiles, this is Derek's pack, he knows us better than Gage," Lydia spoke up gently,  "Not that Gage was a bad alpha, but he didn't know how to handle Liam's IED or Isaac and Ethan's fighting, or-"

"But I do," Stiles cut in.

"But nobody knows you like Derek," 

Stiles clenched his fists. He knew Lydia was right, but he still didn't like it.

"Malia, I know you're not okay with this," Stiles turned to his ex. 

Malia dropped her head in shame, "Gage is right, you never would have gotten hurt if Derek had been here."

"But he wasn't, he left!" Stiles shouted throwing his hands up. 

"Because he was trying to protect you," Scott piped in. 

"By erasing my spark," Stiles snapped.

"I'm not saying it was a good idea, but he was only trying to look after you," Scott responded calmly. 

Stiles couldn't believe his ears. 

"And now that you're a druid, you're going to be in danger now more than ever," Gage sighed, "Derek is better suited to protect you." 

Stiles turned to his alpha, "So you're leaving me?" Stiles' tone was accusing and hurt.

"No, of course not, I promised you I wouldn't leave you. I'm just trying to do what's best for you," Gage took a step towards Stiles.

"Is this really only about protecting me?" Stiles snapped looking at the pack.

No one said anything. 

"I'm not some fragile child," Stiles growled. His skin tingled beneath the surface.

"You were human," Malia spoke up gently.

"Keyword, was," Stiles snapped, "now I'm... whatever the hell I am," Stiles gestured to himself wildly.

"I almost lost you the other day, do you even know what that did to me?" Gage snapped suddenly. 

Stiles turned to the twin, "I'm okay though." 

"Barely. Stiles, you're my best friend, you mean more to me than I can even explain. I was terrified. I couldn't bare the thought of losing you. I will do whatever I have to to keep you safe, even if that means pissing you off by giving Derek back his alpha position," Gage spoke sternly taking another step towards Stiles.

Stiles looked past Gage at Derek, who stood expressionless.

"You may be the alpha of this pack, but you'll never be my alpha," Stiles growled before walking out of the room.

"Stiles," Gage called after the hybrid, but Stiles didn't stop.

Gage let out a sigh. 

"That went better than I expected," Derek put a hand on Gage's shoulder. 

"That didn't go well at all," Gage scoffed at his brother.

"Actually that went pretty well, considering," Lydia agreed with Derek.

"I hate fighting with him. That's twice in just a few days. We never fought," Gage sighed pressing his fingers to his temples. 

"Well that's all Stiles and I do," Derek huffed releasing Gage's shoulder.

"I'm sorry about what he said, about you not being his alpha," Gage looked at his brother sympathetically. He'd smelled the jealousy Derek had felt. 

Derek looked unfazed. "It's fine." 

Gage heard the lie but didn't comment on it. He knew Derek wasn't one to talk about his feelings. 

-

Stiles tapped angrily on his computer when a knock sounded on his door. 

"Come in, unless you're Derek," Stiles called out.

The door opened and Theo stepped in.

"Hey, Theo," Stiles turned to his friend.

"I just wanted to check and see if you were okay," Theo gave a sympathetic smile.

"I've been better," Stiles shrugged.

Theo grabbed Stiles' hands and pulled him to the bed.

"I know you're upset, but they're just worried about you. They said you're the glue that keeps them together. I don't think they'd know what to do without you. They mentioned when you were possessed by the nogitsune, and how worried and stressed they'd been. You're really important to all of them," Theo held Stiles' hands in his as he spoke.

"I talked to Deaton about that a moment ago. Apparently it has to do with me being a spark. The pack is going to be overprotective of me because I'm an important ally. It's a biological thing, they can't help it," Stiles sighed, squeezing Theo's hands. 

Theo only nodded as he looked into Stiles' caramel eyes. 

Stiles leaned forward, connecting their lips gently. 

"Are you still convinced I have feelings for Gage?" Stiles asked pulling back a bit.

"I'm not sure, but I do know that Derek has feelings for you, and he's the alpha, so-"

"What?" Stiles pulled away from Theo quickly.

"He's insanely jealous of yours and Gage's relationship, also Lydia thinks he's in love with you," Theo explained.

"That's ridiculous. Derek is most definitely not in love with me," Stiles snorted. 

"I don't know, I think he might be," Theo shrugged.

"If you don't want to be with me, you can just say so, you don't have to use Gage and Derek as an excuse," Stiles sighed. He missed the relationship he used to have with Theo. 

"Stiles, please don't think that. I love you, I always will, you were my first love. I just don't want to step on any toes," Theo grabbed Stiles' hands again.

Stiles stepped forward, "Then we don't have to tell anybody," 

Instead of responding Theo pulled Stiles into a kiss, gripping Stiles' waist.

Stiles wrapped his arms around Theo as he deepened the kiss. He had missed this.


	29. Replaced me

Derek sat on the edge of his bed tapping his fingers on his knee. He was trying to get the courage to talk to Stiles. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't know how. 

Finally he just went to the hybrid's door and knocked. 

The door opened, revealing a shirtless Stiles. 

"What do you want?" Stiles spat, glaring at the alpha.

Derek's eyes landed on Stiles' neck. Sitting at the base of his throat was a faded bite mark. Derek's jaw clenched.

"Were you with Gage?" Derek demanded. He felt jealousy bubble up inside him.

"What?" Stiles asked taken a back.

"Your neck," 

Stiles reached for the spot Theo had bit him the night before. 

"You really think I'm sleeping with your brother?" Stiles scoffed at Derek.

"You're sleeping with someone. and you two are awfully close," Derek snapped.

"Does it bother you that we're so close?" Stiles smirked slightly. 

"Of course it bothers me, you replaced me with my twin brother. That's why I never told you about him, I knew you'd insist on meeting him, and he's a drastically better person than I am," Derek barked. He hated that Stiles made him feel this way. 

Stiles was shocked by Derek's honesty. "I wouldn't have replaced you with him if you hadn't left."

"Bullshit, you would have replaced me with him whether I was here or not." 

Stiles rolled his eyes, "Go ahead, play the victim," 

"I'm not playing the victim, I'm simply stating the facts," Derek growled. Stiles really knew how to rub him the wrong way. 

"Gage is my friend and my alpha-"

"Stop saying that," Derek shouted startling Stiles.

"Why? Because it bothers you?" Stiles snapped. 

Derek clenched his jaw in response.

"You know what bothers me? The fact that you were going to erase my spark," Stiles said once again feeling the tingling sensation.

"I don't expect you to understand, but I was trying to protect you," Derek huffed. 

"No, you just didn't want me as your emissary," Stiles sneered. 

"You're right, I didn't. I still don't," Derek tried to remain calm but he hated the rejection he felt around Stiles. It hurt.

"Why? I know you hate me, but an emissary is supposed to make you stronger, more powerful. Isn't that what you want?" Stiles threw his hands up in frustration.

"I don't hate you Stiles, you just drive me crazy," 

"Crazy enough that you can't stand the thought of me being your emissary?" 

Derek took a deep breath. He needed to just be honest with Stiles.

"I don't want you to risk your life for me," Derek answered his tone quieter than before.

"I've risked my life for you a dozen times," Stiles frowned.

"And I hated it, why do you think we argued all the time? I was trying to keep you safe and you were running head first into danger," Derek snapped. 

"Why don't you just let me save you?" Stiles threw his hands up again.

"Because I'm not worth saving," Derek shouted. He clenched his teeth. He hadn't planned on saying that.

Stiles looked surprised by Derek's outburst. Stiles knew what this was about.

"Derek, you can't blame yourself forever, It wasn't your fault. Kate manipulated you," Stiles spoke gently.

Derek's mouth dropped slightly before he clenched his jaw once again, "Who told you about that?" 

"It doesn't matter," Stiles sighed.

"Gage," Derek yelled storming off down the hall.

"Damn it Derek," Stiles swore as he grabbed a shirt off the laundry basket and hurried after Derek.

Gage looked up to see his brother stalking towards him looking pissed.

"Whoa, hey, what's wrong?" Gage stood from the stool he was sitting on as Derek neared him. 

"You told him about Kate," Derek snarled as he grabbed his brother by the collar, and shoved him back against the kitchen wall. 

"Derek, let him go, he didn't tell me anything," Stiles huffed rushing in towards the twins. He pulled Derek back forcing him to release Gage.

"Who did?" Derek snapped, his eyes bright red.

"Nobody told me, I figured it out on my own," Stiles rolled his eyes.

"How?" 

"Hello, it's me we're talking about," Stiles gestured to himself. 

Derek's eyes were back to their light green color but they were still piercing.

"She showed a particular interest in you, she called you sweetie, which you hate."

Derek tensed at the nickname.

"And see," Stiles waved a hand towards Derek, "you get all moody and tense when she's brought up," 

Gage eyed his brother carefully. He knew how Derek got when their family was brought up. 

"Look, all I was trying to say was, you can't treat yourself like you're the one who lit the fire. You were fifteen. You may be an ass, but you're life is still worth saving," 

Gage dared not move. Nobody talked so freely about that night to Derek, ever.

"You wouldn't understand," Derek growled. 

Stiles scoffed, "I wouldn't understand? Do you know how many people I killed when I was possessed? I have nightmares. I remember, vividly, every feeling. But it wasn't me, not really, and sometimes I have to remind myself of that just to get through the day. So yeah, actually, I do understand." 

Derek looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, Stiles spoke up again. 

"And no, I'm not sleeping with your brother." With that he walked off leaving Gage shocked and confused.

Gage had never seen Derek discuss Kate so calmly. Stiles really knew how to work Derek, it was fascinating to see.

"Why did he say we weren't sleeping together?" Gage asked looking at his brother. 

"He had a bite mark on his neck. I thought maybe...what with you two being so close..." 

Gage rolled his eyes, "I told you we were just friends. Besides, he's obviously sleeping with Theo." 

"Theo?" Derek frowned at Gage. 

"Yeah, apparently they dated several years back, they're quite close," Gage nodded as he returned to the stool he'd occupied before Derek's encounter.

"You reek of jealousy by the way," Gage smirked as he stared down at his laptop.

"Shut up," Derek growled before walking out. It was obvious he didn't want to continue the conversation.


	30. Uncomfortable

Stiles shifted uneasily in his seat. He felt a strange discomfort as if he was waiting on bad news. He typed away on his computer, trying his best to ignore the feeling. He was currently researching about emissaries. He wanted to know what all he was capable of.

He shifted once more as the feeling grew stronger. He couldn't seem to shake it. The last time he had a feeling like that Vance had ambushed them. Suddenly Stiles jumped to his feet. He needed to find Gage.

-

"Theo, you got a second?" Derek asked walking up to the werewolf who was currently throwing punches into Gage's punching bag. 

"Sure," Theo was still trying to learn the differences between Derek and Gage but he was sure this was Derek, as Gage was usually less broody.

"Are you and Stiles together?" Derek asked not beating around the bush.

"Umm, I don't really know," Theo shifted uncomfortably. 

"You don't know?" Derek crossed his arms. 

"We agreed to just be friends but then...we...last night...Stiles was..." Theo stumbled over his words.

"You two slept together," Derek said.

Theo cleared his throat nervously.

"Why are you so nervous?" Derek frowned. 

"Cause I know you have feelings for Stiles. I tried to tell him but he insisted you didn't. I don't want to step on any toes-"

"You what?" Derek growled stepping towards Theo. "You told him I had feelings for him?" 

"Yeah, he didn't believe me though-"

"I don't have feelings for Stiles," Derek growled. 

Theo raised his brows at the lie. He heard it clear as day. "You know I can tell when you're lying, right?" 

Derek growled, turning away, "I can't help it, I thought it would pass with time but it's only gotten worse. Especially now that his spark is in full effect, he has this influence over my wolf, I hate it."

"You should tell him," Theo spoke gently.

"No. He hates me for trying to snuff out his spark, I've had enough rejection from him," Derek shook his head. 

"Gage," Stiles voice called urgently.

Derek hurried to the living room to meet Stiles. 

"Stiles, Gage isn't here, what's wrong?" Derek asked sensing Stiles discomfort. 

"Where is he?" Stiles asked worriedly.

"He went to talk to Deaton, about twenty minutes ago," Derek answered. He didn't like the feeling Stiles was giving off it made Derek's wolf anxious. "What's wrong?" 

"I don't know. I feel...uncomfortable," Stiles answered with a frown.

"I can feel that. Why do you feel that way?" Derek felt his own anxiety grow.

"I don't know. The last time I felt this was when Vance attacked," Stiles shook his head. 

"You get this feeling because of a threat?" Derek didn't like the sound of that.

"I'm calling Gage," Stiles said dialing his alpha's number.

Derek fought the jealousy he was feeling. He missed when he was the one Stiles would call.

"He's not answering, I'm calling Deaton," Stiles said anxiously.

Derek frowned.

"Deaton, is Gage with you?" Stiles asked when the vet picked up.

"He's not, I haven't seen him today. " Deaton answered. 

"Haven't seen him?" Stiles looked at Derek with concern. Deaton's office was only ten minutes from the pack house. Gage should have made it there already.

Derek headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Stiles asked shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"To find my brother," Derek answered.

Without a word Stiles followed Derek outside. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Derek snapped turning to Stiles.

"Coming with you," Stiles snapped back.

"No," Derek growled. 

"Derek, I'm not in the mood to fight with you. You know I'm not gonna listen to you either way, so how about we either skip to the part where you leave without me and I take my own vehicle, or you can just let me come with you," Stiles crossed his arms. 

Derek let out a growl, climbing into his Camaro without a word. 

Stiles climbed into the passenger side.

-

Gage spit blood on the floor fighting to stay conscious as he felt another needle go into his arm. 

"Enough wolfsbane in your system will kill you, you know that right?" Vance's voice spoke from across the room.

"I'm not telling you anything," Gage spat. His vision was fuzzy but he made out the blonde wolf walking towards him.

"Look, all I want is to know where to find Alan Deaton. I promise to let you live, in fact, I'd prefer it," Vance spoke again, much closer this time.

"I'm not telling you anything," Gage repeated.

"Tell me where he is," The alpha growled.

Instead of responding Gage spit blood in his face. 

"Give him another vile," Vance snarled at the member of his pack that had been administering the wolfsbane.

-

"There's his car," Stiles said pointing to the black charger that sat in the empty parking lot of the library. 

"What was he doing at the library?" Derek asked climbing out of the car.

"It's Sunday, the library is closed," Stiles pointed out. 

Derek opened the car door with ease. "It's not locked."

Stiles picked up what looked to be Gage's phone. "He had your number pulled up, he was about to call you," Stiles said holding the phone up to Derek. 

"I'm calling the rest of the pack, we have to find him," Derek growled.

"I know where he is," Stiles said suddenly angry. 

"What? Where?" Derek frowned at Stiles. 

"I didn't become an alpha when I killed Vance because he wasn't dead," Stiles said looking down at his hands which had blue coursing through his veins. "He's at Gerard's old torture building. I've been there, I can show you," Stiles said walking back towards Derek's car. 

"How do you know where this place is?" Derek asked starting up his car.

"That's where Vance was staying when I went after him," Stiles answered.

"Why did you go after him alone?" Derek asked looking at Stiles.

"He wanted revenge against you. He thought I was the way to do that. he threatened to wreak havoc on the town if I didn't go with him. Gage refused to let me go, so I snuck out. He told me why you were in Greece. He said he paid off the witch to tell him why you were there, since he couldn't find you. He came here looking for revenge. He was trying to decide if he should kill me, turn me, sleep with me, or tie himself to me, when Gage, Malia, and Scott showed up. Apparently he crushed my throat," Stiles rambled nervously. Normally Derek would have told him to shut up by now, but he could tell Derek was curious.

Derek gripped the steering wheel as he listened to Stiles' story. 

"I tried to tell him you wouldn't care what happened to me, but he insisted you would," Stiles shrugged as he fiddled with Gage's phone in his lap.

"Of course I care what happens to you," Derek snapped.

"Don't blame Gage for what happened to me, it's not his fault. I know you didn't want me to be an emissary," Stiles said ignoring Derek's response.

"I don't blame him," Derek answered his voice low. 

"He took care of us, despite what he says. He was a good alpha," 

Derek knew Stiles was talking to fill the silence. Stiles never did well in silence when he was nervous. 

"Stiles," Derek sighed. 

Stiles looked at a visibly uncomfortable Derek.

"I am sorry for leaving. I didn't expect you to care. The pack said you took it hard. I never intended to be gone so long. I just wanted keep you safe. I know I was being selfish, but I didn't know what else to do," Derek hated the way Stiles made him feel. It was so easy to be honest with him and Derek craved the trust he felt with Stiles.

"You could have let me be your emissary," Stiles said quietly. He really didn't want to start a fight with Derek, not right now.

"I told you Stiles, I refuse to let you be responsible for me," 

"And I told you your life is worth saving. I'm not gonna stop being there for you, whether you like it or not," Stiles frowned at Derek.

"Even after what I was going to do?" Derek asked, meeting Stiles' eyes.

Stiles looked away without responding.

"Thought so," Derek turned his attention back to the road.

"I'll never be okay with what you were going to do," Stiles' voice was quiet, "but I'll always be there for you."

Derek frowned, looking at Stiles. He was definitely not expecting that.

"Will you be honest with me for a moment, please?" Stiles glanced at Derek who had turned back to the windshield. 

"Yes," Derek answered. He was afraid Stiles was going to mention his feelings for him.

"Why did you really come back?" 

Derek sighed, "Gage left me a voicemail telling me that you had been hurt and he didn't know if you were going to make it. I just remember feeling so..." Derek trailed off.

"You really came back to make sure I was okay?" Stiles asked, not sure he believed Derek. He tried to focus on Derek's heartbeat but couldn't quite hear it over the alpha's voice. 

"My whole reason for leaving was to prevent your spark from surfacing. I guess it reacts to Gage too," Derek shrugged, "Your safety has always been the most important thing to me." 

Stiles bit down on his bottom lip. It was strange to hear Derek being so honest.

"We're here," Stiles pointed to an old metal building a few yards away. 

Derek parked, climbing out, "You were right, I smell them."

Stiles wanted to reach for Derek's hand, but he wasn't Gage. Instead Stiles followed closely behind the alpha, hoping the sense of dread he felt wasn't an indication of what they were about to walk into.


	31. Torn

Derek paused a few meters from the building. He really didn't want Stiles to go with him. 

"Stiles," Derek spoke in a whisper, "is there any way I can convince you to stay out here?" Derek turned to face the hybrid.

"I'm not letting you go in there alone," Stiles responded shaking his head.

Derek turned away from Stiles, now wasn't the time to argue with him.

Suddenly he felt Stiles' hand slip into his. Derek frowned down at their clasped hands. He felt a calm wash over him.

"This used to calm Gage when we were about to walk into trouble," Stiles explained trying to gauge Derek's reaction. 

Derek pulled Stiles closer, turning to the hybrid. "Listen to me, I know Gage is your alpha, but right now I'm asking for you to please listen to me in there. I don't even want you going in there, so please just do as I say," Derek begged not releasing Stiles' hand.

Stiles only nodded. He could feel the nervous energy coming from Derek, it made him want to pull Derek into his arms and hold him until the nerves melted away.

Derek, sensing Stiles' spark reach out to him, let go of Stiles's hand and stepped back. 

-

Gage felt like his head was going to split open. His body was weak and it felt like fire was searing through his veins. 

"Last chance to tell me where Alan Deaton is. I know you know," Vance growled.

"I'm...not...tel-"

"Telling me anything, yeah I know," Vance growled, rolling his eyes. He'd repeated the phrase at least a dozen times already.

"Why do you want Deaton?" Derek's voice asked. Gage tried to look up but he felt another pinch in his arm causing the world to go black.

Vance turned to see Derek and Stiles walking towards him. 

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd show," Vance smiled at the pair.

"Gage," Stiles' voice was quiet and broken as he took in the scene before him. Gage was being suspended by his arms above his head. His feet were also tied together.

"What have you done to him?" Stiles snapped angrily, taking a few hostile steps towards the alpha. 

Derek grabbed Stiles' arm, "Stiles, don't." 

Stiles felt Derek's nervous energy under his touch. He felt himself being torn. His spark wanted to comfort Derek and protect him, but his wolf wanted to get to Gage, and save his alpha. His spark wanted Derek and his wolf wanted Gage.

"Looks like someone is testy," Vance grinned tauntingly. 

Stiles realized his spark was coming to the surface and so was his wolf.

"I killed you," Stiles growled at the blonde man standing between him and his alpha.

"You tried and almost accomplished. But while you're spark tried to kill me, it also saved me by jumpstarting my healing process," Vance walked towards Stiles, "you see, your spark's natural instinct is to protect it's alpha, and you're not tied to one so it doesn't know when to hurt or to help. Your spark wants Derek so it hurt me to protect him, but once he was no longer in danger, it helped me," Vance spoke reaching out to touch Stiles' cheek.

Derek growled, pulling Stiles behind him. 

"So possessive," Vance smirked. 

Stiles' hands began to tingle. "What do you want?" 

"I want you," Vance answered. He turned towards where Gage was tied up. He signaled to his beta to untie Gage, before turning back to Derek and Stiles. "Your alpha has been pumped with a deadly amount of wolfsbane. He'll likely die in the next hour. I'll give him up in exchange for you," Vance spoke, looking past Derek to Stiles.

Derek let out a threatening growl.

"Oh come on, you're not going to be his alpha," Vance scoffed, "he's much too special to go to waste, I'll take very good care of him," Vance grinned eyeing the hybrid. 

"I'll do it," Stiles agreed.

"No," Derek snapped. 

"Derek, Gage is dying," Stiles argued, stepping passed Derek.

"You're not going to tie yourself to him," Derek growled.

"That's not up to you," Stiles said going to stand next to Vance.

"Stiles, do you realize what your doing? You're agreeing to be his emissary, for life." Derek's eyes were bright red and his tone threatening.

"Gage is dying, I can't lose him," Stiles argued, he felt his wolf begging to help his alpha.

Derek tensed at Stiles' words. "If you do this, you lose everyone, not just Gage." Derek's tone was desperate.

"You can't lose Gage," Stiles shook his head. Derek needed his brother.

"I can't lose you," Derek argued.

"You already lost me, " Stiles said quietly, "you lost me the day you left."

Derek felt his heart drop. 

Stiles turned to Vance, "Let him go, I'm yours." 

Those words broke something in Derek, he felt himself shift instantly.

"Derek don't-" 

But it was too late. Derek already had Vance pinned. 

The beta that had been in charge of Gage grabbed a syringe of wolfsbane and lunged at Derek. 

Stiles' spark flared up at the threat. He zapped the beta sending him back into the nearest wall. 

The sound only attracted the rest of Vance's pack. Four more betas barged in. 

Stiles pulled as much energy as he could, blasting them back. The spark was orange this time though, instead of the usual blue. He looked down at his hands to see the orange hue pulsing in his palm.

The sound of Vance's cry caught Stiles' attention. He turned to see Derek standing over Vance's dead body, covered in blood.

"Derek," Stiles rushed to the alpha's side.

Derek grasped at the wall to steady himself.

Stiles reached Derek to find a deep gash across his torso. He reached out to lay a gentle hand on Derek's arm.

"Stiles, are you-" Derek was cut off by a numbing feeling that washed over him. 

"We need to get Gage to Deaton's," Stiles spoke gently. He felt torn again. He wanted to stay with Derek and make sure he was okay, but he also wanted to get to Gage. 

"Go get him," Derek nodded as he took in slow breaths. 

Stiles released Derek causing the alpha to let out an involuntary whine.

"I'll be right back," Stiles promised. 

He managed to get Gage up, though the alpha was barely conscious. 

"I've you," Stiles spoke reassuringly to his alpha.

Suddenly Derek was on the other side, helping support Gage's weight. 

They struggled to get to the car. Derek was unsteady from his injuries, and Stiles was unsteady under the weight of Gage. 

"Here," Derek pressed the car keys into Stiles' hands, "you drive." Derek sounded tired, and looked like he might pass out.

Stiles nodded, hurrying to the drivers side.

Once Stiles had started the car Derek reached out to him. He gripped Stiles' hand in his, allowing Stiles' spark to numb him once again.

"Are you okay?" Stiles asked worriedly. Derek avoided physical contact as much as possible so it was strange for Derek to be clinging to him the way he was.

Derek only shook his head. He looked like he might fall asleep.

Stiles gave a reassuring squeeze but didn't pry. His spark was just as eager for the contact as Derek seemed to be. The way he felt drawn to Derek was an odd feeling, something he'd never experienced before. Then there was the connection to Gage. He knew it was a beta, alpha connection, but it confused him. Half of him wanted Gage, but the other half wanted Derek.


	32. Matched alpha

Scott and Isaac met Stiles outside of Deaton's. 

"Isaac, get Derek inside. Scott, you help me get Gage," Stiles ordered. 

Isaac pulled an unsteady Derek from the front seat while Scott and Stiles got Gage from the back.

The rest of the pack was inside, waiting anxiously. 

Once they got Derek and Gage comfortable Theo approached Stiles.

"Are you alright?" Theo asked touching Stiles arm gently. 

Stiles turned and threw himself into Theo's arms.

Theo wrapped himself around the hybrid, tossing a nervous glance at a sad looking Derek.

"Theo," Stiles spoke quietly, not pulling away.

"Yes?" 

"I don't know what to do," Stiles sniffed. Tears had managed to escape his eyes despite his best efforts.

"About what?" Theo frowned, running a comforting hand through Stiles' hair. 

"I can't lose Gage, he means too much to me," Stiles answered, his words muffled slightly by Theo's neck, where Stiles' face was currently buried.

"He'll pull through, he's strong," Theo spoke reassuringly.

"What if he doesn't? I'll lose him and Derek will lose him. Derek will never forgive me if Gage dies." Stiles' words were choked out as he fought the tears that insisted on falling from his tired eyes. 

Derek, having heard every word, spoke up, "Stiles." His tone was strained. 

The hybrid pulled back from Theo's grasp. 

Derek felt his chest clench at the pain on Stiles face. His usual bright eyes were clouded and tear filled. A gentle crease sat between his eyebrows showing the worry he clearly felt.

Stiles reached Derek's side. 

Derek grabbed Stiles' hand. The numbing returned, easing the pain he felt.

"I would never blame you for what's happened. You didn't do anything wrong," Derek spoke, barely above a whisper.

Stiles hated the pull he felt towards Derek. He was upset with the alpha, but his spark didn't seem to care. 

"Stiles, you can heal him," Deaton said as he worked diligently on a concoction to cancel the effects of the wolfsbane in Gage's system.

"Who?" Stiles frowned wiping a tear just as soon as it fell.

"Derek. A spark can't heal just anyone, but a true emissary can heal their matched alpha," Deaton explained not looking up.

Stiles frowned while Derek tensed.

"What's a true emissary and matched alpha?" Stiles turned to Derek, who quickly released Stiles' hand.

The room remained silent.

"Hello?" Stiles snapped. He had a feeling this information was important. 

"It's similar to a mate, but without the romantic feelings," Malia spoke up, "when someone has a spark they aren't always meant to be an emissary. Some just have the natural ability to be magical, however a 'true emissary' has an alpha that fate has tied them with. Derek is your matched alpha. He's the reason your spark got ignited to begin with," Malia quoted Deaton's explanation to her and Gage.

"Why the hell didn't you people tell me any of this stuff?" Stiles scoffed looking at the pack.

"Gage said we should let Derek be the one to tell you," Isaac mumbled avoiding Stiles' accusing gaze.

Stiles scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Yes because we all know, Derek's great at communication."

"I didn't think it mattered," Derek spoke in a strained voice.

"Imagine that, something doesn't matter to Derek Hale," Stiles spat. 

"Stiles," Theo took a few steps towards the hybrid. He wanted to comfort the hybrid, but remained hesitant in front of Derek.

"I hate that I'm so damn concerned for you, but at least now I know why," Stiles huffed kneeling in front of the chair Derek was sitting on.

"How do I do this?" Stiles asked looking over at the vet.

"Place your hands on his chest and let your spark take control, don't fight the connection. Let it take effect," Deaton explained.

Stiles let out a heavy sigh before placing both hands on Derek's chest. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the feeling of his spark. 

"It's not working," Stiles grumbled in frustration. 

"Relax, stop fighting it, let your spark connect to Derek's wolf," Deaton ordered.

Stiles took a deep breath and tried to focus his hearing on Derek's heartbeat. It was slow and steady. He slowly felt the familiar tingle in his fingertips. The tingling grew into a steady thrum up his arms. He felt a warmth wash over him like a hot breeze. He felt his muscles relax. A feeling of calm and peace filled him. It was something he'd never felt before. 

Suddenly Derek pulled away from Stiles, knocking over the chair in the process.

Derek's wounds were almost completely healed. The alpha's cheeks burned a deep shade of scarlet that almost matched his current red eyes. He looked frazzled and seemed to be out of breath.

The room was silent.

"I need air," Derek said before making his way out of the room quickly.

"What happened?" Stiles looked to Deaton who was frowning. 

"I'm not sure," The vet looked towards the door Derek had gone through.

The pack all exchanged knowing glances. 

 

Derek ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He was letting Stiles get too close. The connection he and Stiles had just shared made Derek almost lose control. He'd managed to keep his feelings subtle enough that the pack wouldn't know, but Stiles' spark pulled down his metaphorical walls giving the pack front row seats to Derek's emotional feelings for the hybrid. He could feel all the emotions and feelings brimming beneath the surface. Want, desire, lust, passion, protection, love, all of it laid out for the pack to witness. 

"Derek," Isaac's voice pulled Derek from his thoughts.

"Don't," Derek growled knowing why he was there. The pack had always used Isaac as the messenger, they knew Derek was more gentle with him due to his past.

"You should tell him," Isaac spoke gently. 

"No," Derek growled, his eyes flashing at the beta.

Isaac averted his eyes, he knew better than to push right now. 

"You deserve to be happy," Isaac whispered before disappearing back inside. 

Derek clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He'd screwed up.

 

Stiles pulled a chair next to where Gage was lying, gripping his alpha's hand. 

"Try not to be too hard on Derek, he doesn't do well with emotional connections. The connection between a true emissary and their matched alpha is quite emotional," Deaton smiled sadly at Stiles.

"I'm no happier about it than he is. It's so frustrating being so drawn to him. I feel like I'm being torn in two. Half of me is desperate to take care of Derek and be there for him, the other half is desperate to take care of Gage and be there for him. I want to go check on him so bad, but I don't want to leave Gage," Stiles sighed.

"It makes sense, your spark's natural instinct is to protect Derek and your beta instinct is to be there for your biological alpha," Deaton nodded. 

"How do I get rid of one or the other?" 

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. Gage is your alpha, nothing is going to change that. And the only way to get rid of the pull you feel towards Derek is to tie yourself to another alpha. Come to think of it, if you tied yourself to Derek, your biological tether to Gage would be severed," Deaton explained checking Gage's vitals.

"So the only way to get rid of this torture is to tie myself to one of them?" Stiles frowned at the vet.

"I'm afraid so. You would be forced to choose between them," Deaton nodded.

"Well that's not hard, Derek has made it very clear he doesn't want to be tied to me." Stiles felt a sadness wash over him as he said that. 

"You're spark won't be able to perform at it's full potential if you tie yourself to Gage. Derek is your matched alpha, Gage isn't," Deaton pointed out. 

"I don't get it, why would we be fated together? Derek hates me," Stiles huffed.

"I don't hate you, Stiles," Derek said from the doorway, his tone sounded threatening.  
He'd heard everything that had been said. 

"Scott, Isaac, Theo, Liam, and Ethan, Argent will be here shortly. You five are going to help clean up the mess Stiles and I made of Vance and his pack," Derek said looking at the members of his pack. 

"It's my turn to cook so I should get going," Lydia said checking her watch.

"We'll help you," Allison said grabbing Malia's hand and following after the redhead. 

Stiles stood, catching Theo's arm before he could leave. He pulled the werewolf into a sweet kiss before releasing him. "I'll see you later," 

Theo forced a smile, doing his best to avoid Derek's jealous eyes. "You take care of these two," Theo said placing a gentle kiss on Stiles forehead. 

Derek fought the jealousy he was feeling. He hated wanting to be the one Stiles kissed. He should be glad Stiles was happy, but he was too selfish for that.


	33. You can gain back my trust...

I'll be in the other room, if anything changes, call me," Deaton said looking between Stiles and Derek.

Stiles only nodded. He hoped Gage would wake up soon. He needed to know he was okay. 

"You're going to tie yourself to him, aren't you?" Derek asked in a quiet voice.

"Would you rather me tie myself to you?" Stiles snapped. He was in no mood to fight with Derek.

"I could never let you do that, whether I wanted it or not," Derek shook his head gently, his tone was sad. 

"But you said you didn't want me as your emissary," Stiles frowned at the alpha.

Derek dropped his eyes to the floor, "I don't." 

"You're lying," Stiles said cocking his head slightly, he heard the slight stutter in Derek's heartbeat. Stiles was surprised he heard it.

Derek frowned at the hybrid.

"Your heart skipped," Stiles explained.

Derek felt dread wash over him. Were his senses getting stronger?

"Derek, be honest with me, do you really not want me to be your emissary?  Or are you just afraid?" Stiles stepped towards Derek, studying his face for any kind of clue.

Derek fought to keep his heart as steady as possible. "I don't...want you," Derek felt his heart rate jump as Stiles neared him. He couldn't control it.

"You're lying again," Stiles frowned.

Derek felt Stiles' spark reach out to him. He so badly wanted to give in to it, allow it to consume him.

Stiles was only a foot from the alpha. He felt so drawn to him, to comfort him.

"Stiles," Derek's voice was a broken whisper. It was his failed attempt at begging Stiles to be stronger than him, to resist the pull they both felt. 

Stiles could sense Derek's unease. He knew the werewolf well enough to know he was begging Stiles not to come any closer, but his spark felt the aching of Derek's wolf. He wanted to respect Derek's boundaries, but he was struggling. 

Suddenly Derek was wrapping his strong arms around Stiles. 

Stiles unable to pull away, hugged him back.  The two melted into each other, letting go of all reserve.  

"Derek, I would never hurt you," Stiles whispered. 

"I know," Derek responded. He trusted Stiles completely, but he couldn't allow him to risk his life for him. It wasn't right. "It's not me I'm worried about."

Stiles let out a sigh.

Derek hated how honest he was with Stiles. He preferred to be more reserved in his answers, but whatever it was about Stiles, he couldn't be.

"You have to take care of you too," Stiles said gently, "you can't keep pushing everyone away forever." Stiles had never hugged Derek before, not like this. It was much different than hugging Gage. It was probably because of his spark, but he loved the feeling of being wrapped in Derek's arms. 

Derek smelled the content and calmness Stiles was feeling and it made him not want to let go. The fact that he made Stiles feel that way, elated him.

"I've already pushed you away, so what does it matter?" Derek sighed taking in Stiles' scent. It was so calming for him.

"You can gain back my trust, you know," Stiles said pulling back slightly, so he could look at the alpha. 

"I don't deserve it," Derek shook his head. 

"So, what? You're just letting me go then?" Stiles frowned. The idea hurt more than he thought it would. His spark really cared about Derek.

"If it wasn't for your spark, you'd want nothing to do with me," Derek spoke sadly.

"If you hadn't tried to erase my spark, I'd still trust you," Stiles responded just as sadly.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Derek closed his eyes leaning his forehead on Stiles', his arms still wrapped around the hybrid.

The sound of the door opening caused Derek and Stiles to pull apart. 

Standing in the door was Theo, looking slightly hurt. 

Stiles suddenly smelt heavily of guilt. 

"Argent wants to see you real quick," Theo said looking at Derek. 

Derek forced back a smug smile at the jealousy Theo was feeling. 

"Theo," Stiles stepped towards the werewolf as Derek slipped by him and out of the room. 

Theo sighed looking up at Stiles, "I get it, I'm not an alpha." 

Stiles frowned at the accusation.

"Look, you're Derek's true emissary, I understand," Theo shrugged. 

"I love you, Theo, not Derek," Stiles grabbed Theo's hands in his.

"I know you do, but Derek loves you, and you're meant to be his emissary. I can't compete with that," Theo shook his head. 

Stiles felt his heart drop. "What are you saying?" 

"I'm saying we should just stay friends, like we agreed," Theo answered gently. 

"Theo, Derek doesn't love me, I promise it's not like that between us." Stiles didn't want to lose Theo.

"I know it's not, but I smelled it on him earlier when you were healing him," Theo explained. 

"You must have mistook it for a different scent. Sometimes-"

"The whole pack smelled it," Theo cut in. 

Stiles frowned. No, Derek couldn't love him. 

"Look, I know it sounds insane, but just trust me, okay?" Theo pressed a gentle kiss to Stiles' cheek. 

Stiles watched as Theo walked out. He turned to the unconscious alpha, "Gage I need you to wake up, for so many reasons," Stiles grabbed the werewolf's hand. Instantly he felt his spark tingling. Was he healing Gage? 

He placed his other hand on Gage's chest as he had done with Derek. He concentrated on the slow putter of his alpha's heart. The tingling remained as just that, tingling. It didn't spread through him the way it had when he'd healed Derek.

"I'm sorry, Stiles, but that's not going to fix this," Deaton's voice pulled Stiles from his thoughts.

"I feel it trying," Stiles spoke desperately. 

"It's easing his pain at best," Deaton gave Stiles a sympathetic look.

"Vance said my spark jump started his healing after I attacked him," Stiles recalled Vance's explanation to surviving the blast.

"Your spark can undo it's own damage in an alpha so long as you're not tethered to one. Your spark can sense an alpha but it can't differentiate between a good one and a bad one. It can sense a threat but once the threat is minimized it reaches out to any alpha in need. Since you're Derek's true emissary, your spark searches for Derek first. Once he's safe it moves on to the next one. Your spark will only ever be able to protect Derek it can't hurt him. Any attempt to hurt him will fail. You protected Derek, but once Derek was safe your spark protected the next alpha in danger. The sole purpose of a spark is to protect their alpha and assist with the pack," Deaton explained as he checked Gage's vitals once more.

"Is he going to be okay?" Stiles asked looking down at the still alpha beside him. He didn't want to talk about his spark anymore.

"It's hard to say. I've administers an antidote, but I don't know how much wolfsbane is in his system. If I'm not careful I could overdose him and he'll be in worse condition."

"Wait, if you know how much wolfsbane he was injected, can you do something?" Stiles asked eagerly.

"Yes, I'll know how much antidote I can give him without overdosing," Deaton nodded.

"I saw one of the betas inject him with a vile," Stiles pulled out his phone quickly dialing Scott's number.

"Stiles, is Gage okay?" Scott answered.

"Nothing's changed, but we may know how to help him. When you get to Vance's, I need you to see if you can find any viles of wolfsbane. Tell me how many are empty," Stiles spoke quickly.

"Also if there are any more, bring it here so I can figure out what kind of wolfsbane was used," Deaton spoke up.

"Did you hear Deaton?" 

"Yeah, I can do that," Scott agreed.

Stiles hung up, filled with hope. Gage might actually pull through this.

Derek sat in the waiting room. He listened as Stiles and Deaton talked. He needed to be away from Stiles for a moment, he was getting too close. 

Derek ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to tie himself to Stiles, but he couldn't stand the idea of Stiles tied to another alpha. It would be best if Derek just left again, it had been easier to justify what he was doing when he was away from Stiles, but now he felt guilty. It had never even occurred to him that he was taking away a part of Stiles. He only saw himself protecting Stiles from him. Stiles' words echoed in his head, 

'You can gain back my trust, you know'

Derek didn't even know where to begin to do that. Besides did he really want that? That only meant the connection between him and Stiles would be stronger. Derek didn't know if he could fight it, if it was stronger, he struggled enough as it was.


	34. It's not your fault

Derek held his brother's hand in his. He couldn't lose another sibling especially not Gage. The two of them had always been inseparable. Even when Gage found out Kate had been the one to light the fire, he never blamed Derek or looked at him different. 

"It was her, wasn't it?" Gage asked looking at his brother. They stood watching as the fire fighters put out the last of the flames that had destroyed their house. There was nothing left. "That's what the text was about. She said your surprise was waiting."

Derek couldn't speak. The reality that his home, and family was gone, hadn't sunk in quite yet. 

"Did anybody make it out?" Derek asked with hopeful eyes as Laura approached them.

"The basement door was barricaded, they think someone did it on purpose," Laura spoke angrily. It was obvious she was trying to keep calm but her eyes were changing back and forth between their natural blue and their beta gold. 

"I did this," Derek felt his chest tighten.

"What?" Laura frowned at Derek in confusion.

Gage grabbed his brother's arm forcing his twin to face him, "Look at me, you didn't do this," Gage spoke sternly. 

"I gave her the key," Derek's voice wavered. 

"You didn't know, it's not your fault," Gage insisted.

"Gave who what key?" Laura frowned.

"Kate, she said she had a surprise for me, she told me to leave a key to the basement under the mat. I don't know how she knew, I never showed her," Derek wiped at the tears that were now falling.

"Who's Kate?" Laura asked gently touching Derek's shoulder.

Derek couldn't answer, instead he crumbled to his knees, sobs ripping from his throat.

"Kate was a woman he met one night when we were out, she took to Derek instantly. They met up a few times," Gage explained as he knelt next to his brother. 

"I didn't know he was seeing someone," Laura frowned.

"He didn't want anyone to know, she was a bit older than..." Gage choked as he phrased his sentence. "mom would have been okay with." Talking about his mom in the past tense struck something in him.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen," Derek cried, gripping his brother for dear life.

"It's not your fault, I don't blame you," Gage spoke gently as he held his brother. 

"What's her last name?" Laura growled, obviously trying to stay calm.

Gage looked up at his sister, "Argent." 

 

Laura had discovered that Kate was the daughter of Gerard Argent, one of the most fierce hunters. Laura had decided to take Derek and Gage and leave California. She took them as far away as possible. New York. Cora had stayed home sick that day. What they didn't know was she had snuck out to meet up with friends who had also stayed home 'sick'. They thought she'd died in the fire. By the time she got home, Laura had taken the boys and left. 

Derek remembered how understanding Laura and Gage had been. They not once blamed him or made him feel guilty. He put all the blame and guilt on himself. He knew it was reckless, but he was sixteen, he never imagined the twenty five year old woman he was sleeping with, wanted his family dead. He pulled away from Gage and Laura, he became a shell of a man. He committed his time to learning the names of all the hunters so he could never be tricked again. Not that he trusted anyone anyway. He slowly became more and more closed off until he became who he currently was, a distrusting asshole that nobody liked. 

The pack gave him purpose, something he hadn't had in a long time. He swore to himself to never let anyone get hurt because of him again. So when he discovered Stiles had a spark and he was his matched alpha, Derek knew he had to do whatever he could to stop it. 

Initially he was just going to leave but he'd stumbled across a story of a witch who had cast a spell to rid a druid of his spark before it was ignited. The boy had a dark side and his mother was desperate to prevent his spark from surfacing, she feared he would hurt people. Derek decided then, to find this spell and a witch who would use it on Stiles. It was the only way to prevent Stiles from risking his life for Derek, and also for him to not have to give up his pack. What he never expected was Gage to show up. Evidently being identical brothers was a similar enough DNA to ignite Stiles' spark. But Derek was still his matched alpha. 

"I promised to never let anyone get hurt because of me again, and look, you've been poisoned and Stiles almost died, all because of me. I lost Erika and Boyd, I lost Kira and Aiden, I can't keep doing this. If I lose you, I'll be lost. And Stiles is in so much danger now, if I lose him too...I'll have lost everything. Please, I don't know what to do, brother. Is this meant to be my life? Am I meant to be alone forever?" Derek spoke sadly as he gripped his brother's hand harder.

"If that were the case, fate wouldn't have made me your true emissary," Stiles voice spoke softly from the door.

Derek hadn't heard Stiles walk up. He wasn't paying attention; that was dangerous. 

"I think that's just another one of life's ways of punishing me," Derek growled. He wondered how much Stiles had heard, but he didn't want to ask.

"For what? Falling for the wrong woman? Who hasn't?" Stiles scoffed.

"Stiles," Derek said in a warning tone.

"No, I'm not going to sit here and let you blame yourself for what that bitch did. And I'm not going to let you take the blame for what happened to me or to Gage. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't tell the hunters where Vance's pack was. He jumped to conclusions. It's not your fault. And I'm the one who killed Kira and Aiden, not you," Stiles' tone dropped slightly on his last sentence. 

"I should have protected you better," Derek growled. 

"How? You had no clue the nogitsune was even released. You can't protect everybody, Derek, it's not your job. Maybe that's why fate made me your true emissary, to show you you don't have to do this alone." Stiles reached for Derek's arm, but Derek stepped back.

"Don't." 

Derek saw the hurt flash in Stiles' eyes briefly.

"You're still going to just push me away," Stiles scoffed shaking his head, "I actually thought for a moment you might let me in," 

Derek smelled the frustration and sadness rolling off Stiles. 

"Look, I don't know what you expect me to say," Derek huffed trying not to give in to the part of him that wanted to let Stiles in.

"Nothing, just like you always do," Stiles said simply.

Derek sensed Stiles demeanor turn cold. His wolf yearned for Stiles comforting demeanor to return, but Derek forced himself to leave the room. He couldn't let Stiles in no matter how much he wanted to.


	35. Rejected

"Stiles, wake up," Derek kicked the chair Stiles was currently slumped in.

Stiles jolted up, "What? Huh? I didn't do it."

Derek rolled his eyes, "Gage is awake, thought you might want to know," 

Stiles jumped to his feet, following after Derek, and back into the examination room.

"You're sure you feel okay?" Deaton asked checking Gage's temperature. 

"Yeah, a little hungry, but fine otherwise," Gage answered. He looked up then to see Stiles walk in with Derek.

"Gage," Stiles huffed with relief at the sight of his alpha.

"You're free to go, I don't see any residual effects," Deaton nodded at Gage who stood to his feet effortlessly. 

Stiles immediately threw his arms around the alpha. 

Gage wrapped his arms around Stiles just as tightly. He buried his head in Stiles neck allowing the scent of his anchor to relax him. 

"I'm so glad you're okay," Stiles sighed.

"Me too. What happened exactly? I remember Vance demanding me to take him to Deaton. He was going to force him to make Stiles his emissary. He was pumping me full of wolfsbane and then...I think I remember Derek, but it gets fuzzy," Gage frowned, trying to remember.

"Derek took care of him," Stiles answered. 

Gage looked at his brother for confirmation. 

"Vance won't be a problem anymore," Derek said. He stood stiffly at the door, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why don't you take these two home, they haven't left since they brought you here," Deaton nodded towards the door.

"Thank you for your help," Stiles said to Deaton as Derek lead Gage out.

"Oh, Stiles, be sure you make the right choice." 

Stiles bit at his bottom lip. He knew what Deaton was referring to. He needed to have a serious conversation with Derek and Gage. 

"I know you guys are probably exhausted, but I'm starving," Gage glanced at Derek and Stiles. 

"The only place open at almost midnight is that pizza place on Devenger," Derek noted.

"I'm always up for pizza," Stiles shrugged. 

"I'll drive," Derek nodded. Stiles was surprised. He expected Derek to pitch a fit, though he seemed different around his brother. It made Stiles wonder what Derek was like before the fire. 

The car ride was painfully quiet. There was obvious tension, it just wasn't clear why there was tension.

The three sat down after ordering two large pepperoni pizzas. Gage had seen Stiles put away half a pizza on his own and who knew when the last time Derek had eaten was.

"Okay why are you so anxious?" Gage finally asked Stiles. He'd practically choked on the smell the whole way.

"I'm fine," Stiles shook his head, hoping the brothers wouldn't pry. Who was he kidding, of course they would, they were Hales weren't they?

"Something happened between you two...what was it?" Gage crossed his arms.

Stiles glanced at Derek who was stiff as a statue. 

"I found out that Derek is...my matched alpha, which makes me his-"

"True emissary," Gage nodded, cutting in. He turned to his brother, "I'm shocked you told him."

"I'm shocked you actually think it was him that told me," Stiles scoffed, reaching for a piece of the freshly delivered pizza.

"Deaton mentioned it," Derek answered stiffly.

"And?" Gage glanced between the two expectantly. 

"And I was reminded Derek didn't want me," Stiles said flatly. He tried to hide any hurt in his tone but his scent gave him away.

Gage sighed. 

"Stiles, that's not it and you know it. I'm just not going to let you-"

"Risk my life for yours, yeah I've heard it," Stiles snapped. He was growing tired of that excuse.

"Derek, you two are fated-"

"No. It's not happening. Besides, his spark reacts just as strongly to you, doesn't seem like fate much cares which Hale he picks." Derek cut in bitterly. Gage could smell the jealousy. 

"Well I much prefer Gage," Stiles snapped. 

"Stiles," Gage sighed. "I could never let you be my emissary." 

"Why not?" Stiles frowned. 

Gage glanced at a brooding Derek. "I..." Gage let out a sigh. What was he supposed to do, say Derek would be crushed? He doubted Stiles would care, much less believe him.

"I get it," Stiles said, standing suddenly, "rejected by both brothers in one day...if I hurry I might catch Malia before she's asleep and she can reject me...again." With that, Stiles stalked out of the restaurant.

"Stiles," Gage called after the hybrid, but to no avail.

"Let him go. He'll go see Peter, we'll catch up with him there."

-

Derek had been right. Stiles knocked on the loft door, hoping Peter was awake.

"Stiles, my favorite human, or well, hybrid now I guess," Peter greeted allowing him in.

"Right on time," Derek spoke, startling Stiles. 

The hybrid looked up to see Derek looking at his watch with a smug smile. 

"Oh come on," Stiles threw his hands up. 

"Stiles, I know you're upset, but I have my reasons for not letting you be my emissary. For one, I'm not the alpha of the pack anymore. And you're fated as Derek's true emissary. The alpha, beta bond we have is hard enough," Gage spoke with a sympathetic tone.

"Who cares that I'm fated as Derek's true emissary, he has made it very clear he doesn't want me. In fact, you both have," Stiles snapped. He came to Peter's to avoid having to deal with the twins. Peter would have left him alone at least. 

"For the record, I think they're both idiots. I'd kill to have you as my emissary. Course, I'd literally have to kill to even be eligible, but never say never," Peter grinned with a simple shrug. 

Derek and Gage both growled at their uncle, they're eyes flashing. 

"I always hated when you two were in sync." Peter sneered.

"Please, don't take it personal, it's-" Gage was cut off by Stiles.

"Don't take it personal? I have literally been dumped, and rejected twice today, I'm beginning to get a damn complex," Stiles barked.

"Dumped?" Gage and Peter asked in unison. 

"Theo," Stiles said, his voice quiter than before. 

"You were dating Theo?" Peter asked looking slightly offended. 

"Sort of," Stiles shrugged, dropping his eyes.

"What happened?" Gage asked, tossing a glance at his brother. 

"I'd rather not get into it," Stiles shifted nervously.

"He's a bigger fool than these two then," Peter scoffed.

"Look, I really just don't want to be anywhere near you two right now, so can you leave?" Stiles asked impatiently. 

"I'm not leaving you here with him," Gage growled.

"As much as it pains me to say this, I trust him with my life. Anybody else's life, not so much, but I'll be safe here for the night," Stiles didn't feel like being around anyone that could guilt trip him into talking. He didn't care if he hurt Peter's feelings, so he preferred to stay there, just for the night.

"You want to stay the night?" Gage scoffed.

"Not happening, Stiles." Derek growled. 

"Yes, I'm staying, as long as Peter is okay with it," Stiles glanced at Peter. 

"My bed is always open to you," Peter winked. 

"You seriously want to stay with that?" Gage scoffed again. 

"You're not staying with him," Derek growled, his eyes bright red.

"You can intimidate me all you want, but you're not my alpha, and even if you were, I still wouldn't listen to you. You think you control me, but you don't!" Stiles' eyes flashed briefly causing Derek to frown. Had he just seen what he thought he'd seen?

"I'm staying with Peter tonight, and that's final," Stiles growled. 

Gage stepped forward, grabbing Stiles' arm before he could walk away, "I'm your alpha and-"

Stiles yanked his arm from Gage, "I don't give a shit!" 

Gage, Derek, and Peter all stepped back from Stiles with a shocked look on their faces.

Peter spoke up first, "Stiles, your eyes," 

"Huh?" Stiles frowned in confusion. What about them?

"They're...Gage trailed off.

"Red," Derek finished. 


	36. True alpha

Stiles looked between the three Hales. Was this some sort of ploy to get him to cooperate?

"I thought Derek killed Vance?" Gage asked looking at his brother. 

"I did," Derek answered, not looking away from Stiles. 

"Then how?" Gage looked back at Stiles. 

"Looks like he's become his own alpha," Peter smirked.

"How's that possible?" Stiles frowned. He didn't do anything. 

"You're a true alpha," Derek said quietly. 

"You mean true emissary," Stiles corrected. 

"Nope, he said it right," Peter shook his head. "A true alpha is a werewolf who rises to alpha rank solely on the strength of their character, their virtue, and sheer willpower. The true alpha is rare, shrouded in myth and is said to appear once in a 100 years." 

"The pack always considered you an alpha. It only makes sense this would happen," Gage noted with a slight frown. 

"Okay I seriously need to think some things through, so could you two go now?" Stiles huffed. It had been a long couple of days and now this, he didn't know how much more he could handle.

"Stiles," Derek growled. He still wasn't comfortable leaving Stiles alone with Peter.

"Dear nephews, I think Stiles is capable of taking care of himself, should the need arise," Peter piped in.

"The need had better not arise, or you'll have me to deal with," Gage snarled at the older Hale.

"Stiles has never been in any danger by me," Peter stated simply. He seemed unfazed by Gage's threat.

"You did try to kill me that time in the hospital," Stiles noted recalling the first time he'd met Peter.

"I thought we'd gotten passed that, love," Peter looked at Stiles with puppy dog eyes.

 

Stiles rolled his eyes, but Derek let out a growl at the pet name. 

"Yes, I know, you're jealous, the scent is stinking up the place, in fact," Peter rolled his eyes.

Derek suddenly grabbed Peter by his throat, giving a threatening squeeze.

"Derek, come on, Stiles can handle himself for one night," Gage pulled his brother back. He pushed Derek gently towards the door.

"Please, be careful Stiles, and call if you need us," Gage begged. 

"I'll be fine, just go," Stiles snapped. He just wanted to not see the twins. 

Once they were sufficiently out of ear shot, Peter turned to Stiles, "I'm honestly surprised you stayed. I'm not exactly your favorite person." 

"You wouldn't be so bad if you weren't a lunatic," Stiles responded with a shrug.

"Former lunatic, I'm much healthier now," Peter objected, earning a chuckle from Stiles. 

Stiles sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. 

"I don't suppose you're going to want to talk about your newly acquired alpha status, or the fact that my nephews are insane for not tying themselves to you." Peter sat down next to the hybrid.

"Sure don't," Stiles shook his head.

"Then perhaps you could tell me about what happened with this Theo character."

Stiles sighed, "There's nothing to tell. He and I dated several years back. He moved, we lost contact. He heard about me when Derek was in Greece and he came to intervene. Anyway, we picked up where we left off, sort of, but he was hesitant," Stiles spoke not looking up from his hands. 

"Why?" Peter pryed.

"He thought Gage and I had feelings for one another, which I assured him was not the case. Then the other day he claimed Derek loved me," Stiles scoffed, "then today something happened between Derek and I, we had...a moment, I guess. Derek hugged me, like he'd never been hugged before. We talked a bit, I tried to get him to let me in but...you know how he is. Anyway, Theo walked in. He said that he could smell the feelings Derek had for me. No matter how much I tried to convince him he was wrong he wouldn't listen. So he said we should just be friends."

"Just friends? Ouch," Peter grimaced. 

A comfortable silence fell over the pair. That was the one difference between the twins and Peter, they always needed to make Stiles talk they never just let him think. Peter on the other hand allowed Stiles to dwell and mull things over. It was refreshing.

"Peter, I have a crazy thought," Stiles looked up at the ex alpha. 

"I like crazy," Peter grinned. 

"What if I left the pack? If I'm really an alpha like you say, then I could do it."

Peter rose his brows at Stiles, "You'd be alone." 

"Not if I had you," Stiles bit his bottom lip. 

Peter looked stunned. "You never wanted to be a part of my pack," He reminded Stiles. 

"Well you'd be a part of my pack," Stiles shrugged. He awaited the rejection, but it never came.

"I'd follow you to the ends of the earth, Stiles. I always said you were the one I should have bit, however, you need to be sure that's what you want. You'd lose Derek and Gage," Peter scooted closer.

Stiles smiled slightly. What is it about me that makes you so much nicer? You're always so sweet, if not a little creepy, with me. But everyone else, you couldn't care less." 

"There must just be something about you that draws us Hales in. You captured Malia's attention almost immediately, along with mine. Gage took to you easily and you've even managed to win Derek over," Peter shrugged simply.

Stiles frowned. "But what is it for you?" 

Peter seemed to contemplate the question for a moment. "Do you want the truth?" 

"No, I asked so you could make up some elaborate lie," Stiles rolled his eyes, earning a smirk from the ex alpha.

"That's part of it, your wit is unmatched. You're one of the most intelligent young men I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. You have a fire inside you that makes you more dangerous than you would ever allow yourself to be, and I'm not referring to your spark. You're kind and understanding. You know how to listen and you have reason. You have exceptional leadership qualities, and if that's not enough for you, well there is always that cute little ass of yours," Peter answered.

Stiles couldn't help but grin as a blush filled his cheeks. "I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing that needs to be said, you asked and I gave you the answer," Peter shook his head. 

Stiles had been able to listen to Peter's heartbeat and not once did it skip or stutter. 

Stiles decided then, to do something he never in a million years thought he'd do. He turned to the werewolf beside him and quickly leaned in placing his lips on Peter's. 

Peter froze. He couldn't believe Stiles was kissing him. Peter carefully slid his hand into Stiles' messy hair as he kissed back.


	37. Piss him off

Stiles knew he shouldn't push it, but the feeling of being truly wanted was too much. He gripped the back of Peter's neck before parting his lips. 

Peter couldn't help but give in. He knew Derek would kill him if he found out, but Stiles was intoxicating. 

The feeling of Peter's hand on his thigh caused Stiles to do something even more brave. He grabbed Peter's hand and slid it along his leg until he reached his ass. He then lifted his leg and straddled Peter's lap, not once disconnecting their lips. 

Peter, surprised by the sudden action gripped Stiles gently, pulling him in closer. 

Stiles would be lying if he said he'd never thought of Peter in this way, but he never imagined he'd ever do anything with the older guy. 

"Stiles, wait," Peter spoke into the kiss. He didn't know why, but he felt guilty suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Stiles asked pulling back slightly, breathless. 

Peter was about to respond when Stiles spoke again.

"Please don't tell me you're rejected me as well," Stiles practically begged.

"No, of course not, I could never," Peter frowned, shaking his head. 

"Then what is it?" 

"I know you're only doing this because Derek and Gage are idiots, and I'm totally okay with that, but I just want you to know, Derek will never forgive me for this, and he'll never trust you alone with me again," Peter knew how Derek felt about Stiles. It had always been obvious to him.

"Derek? I'd be more concerned with Gage, he really doesn't seem to like you," Stiles frowned, running his hands up Peter's arms. 

"Yes, well, Derek's the one in love with you, not Gage," Peter huffed. 

Stiles froze, "Derek's not in love with me. Theo-"

"Is absolutely right," Peter interrupted.

Stiles rolled his eyes, he wasn't in the mood to have this argument again today. 

"Well if he truly felt that way, he wouldn't have rejected me." 

"You don't believe me," Peter noted.

"If you really think that than this will be a gentle kick in the balls," Stiles smirked. He was under no illusion that Derek had any romantic feelings for him, despite what Theo and Peter said.

"You're really upset with him aren't you?" Peter cocked his head slightly. 

"You know, I'm pretty sure it's a bad idea to talk about another guy while already with one," Stiles whispered in Peter's ear. 

Peter fought with the guilt he was feeling as Stiles ran his tongue along his jaw. 

Stiles gently ground down onto Peter's lap. That was enough to make Peter forget all about Derek. He reconnected their lips roughly causing Stiles to let out a gentle moan. 

At that moment, Peter's phone rang, causing Stiles to pull away. 

"It's Derek," Peter immediately felt the guilt creep back in. 

"Don't answer it, he's probably just mad cause I turned mine off," Stiles leaned in again.

Peter pulled back, "You turned your phone off? Stiles, if I don't answer this, he's going to come back." Peter knew Derek too well. 

"I knew if I didn't turn it off, he'd call and text a thousand times," Stiles huffed. 

"Just let me assure him that you're still here, and I haven't killed you," Peter pleaded.

"Fine, but I'm not stopping," Stiles was enjoying the feeling of being wanted and he liked the smell Peter gave off, it was...sweet and a bit earthy, something he'd never smelt before.

"Derek, no, I have not killed Stiles," Peter answered the phone.

"His phone is off," Derek growled. 

"Yeah, he mentioned that. Apparently you would call him a thousand times. I'm guessing he was right," Peter responded trying to ignore the feeling of Stiles mouth on his neck. 

"Where is he?" Derek demanded. 

"He's right-"

Stiles picked that moment to grind down onto Peter. 

"Here," Peter's voice wavered at the feeling. He didn't know what had gotten into Stiles but he couldn't deny, he loved it. 

"Peter," Derek growled.

"Hmm?" Peter asked innocently. If Stiles wasn't careful Derek would realize what was going on.

"Put Stiles on the phone." 

Peter pulled the phone away, "He wants to talk to you,"

"Tell him my mouth is busy," Stiles said loud enough that Derek would hear. 

"Stiles, are you trying to get me killed?" Peter hissed. 

"He's kidding, obviously," Peter spoke into the phone. 

"I don't like him there with you, I'm coming back," Derek snapped hanging up. 

Peter pushed Stiles away, "He's coming back."

Stiles groaned, "Why?" 

"Because he doesn't trust me, and you basically told him what we were doing," Peter responded. 

"The he can watch," Stiles snapped. 

"Stiles, what's going on with you?" Peter frowned at the guy on his lap. He was being out of character.

"I'm so tired of Derek trying to control my life," Stiles snapped, climbing off of Peter.

"Gage stepped down, allowing Derek to take his position as alpha, back. Then Theo dumps me cause he thinks Derek doesn't like it, then Gage won't tie himself to me cause he thinks I should be tied to Derek. You're the only one not afraid to piss Derek off. I want to piss him off. He needs to know that he can't control me. You actually want me enough that you're willing to piss him off. He has done nothing but piss me off, it's his turn." Stiles' voice was rising. 

"Look, Stiles, I would love nothing more than to bury myself into that cute little ass of yours, but there are other ways to piss Derek off. I know you don't really want this, and, I can't believe I'm saying this but...I respect you too much to take advantage of you like that. I'll flirt with you and you can kiss me any time you want, but just turning off your phone pissed him off. This," Peter gestured between the two of them, "would devastate him, and I know you, you don't want to hurt Derek,"

"You seriously think Derek has feelings for me," Stiles threw his hands up in disbelief. 

"He doesn't just have feelings for you, he's in love with you," Peter sighed.

"Fine, let's test that theory, mark me," Stiles said taking a step forward.

"What?" Peter frowned.

"If you're right then he'll be pissed and I'll question him, I can tell if he's lying. He's on his way right? So mark me," Stiles took a step torward Peter.

Peter knew this may be his last opportunity, and he already hated himself for not sleeping with Stiles when he had the chance. 

Peter pulled Stiles into him, connecting their lips. He enjoyed Stiles' lips thoroughly. He'd always loved watching Stiles mouth. The perfect arch of his cupids bow and the fullness of his bottom lip. Peter sank his teeth into said lip, something he'd wanted to do a million times.

Stiles moaned at the feeling, Peter really knew how to work him. He was then gently pushed back into the wall. Peter pulled back before placing his lips to Stiles' ear.

"He just pulled up."

Before Stiles could respond, Peter's lips were attached to Stiles neck. Something about the way Peter's tongue and lips worked his skin had Stiles muttering Peter's name in breathless pants. The smell Stiles had been enjoying before was much stronger now.

Suddenly Peter was off of Stiles, "Derek's here."


	38. Te him

Gage watched as Derek paced the living room. He hadn't stopped since they walked in. 

"Derek, relax," Gage sighed.

"Relax? Stiles is an alpha, which means he has no connection to either of us anymore, and we just left him with Peter," Derek growled. 

"Peter isn't going to do anything to Stiles," Gage knew that Peter cared for Stiles on some level and he would never do anything to hurt him.

"I'm more worried about what Peter is gonna say to him. He's mad at both of us," Derek reminded Gage.

"He's not mad, he's upset," Gage disagreed. He knew how frustrated Stiles was over his spark. 

"Trust me he's mad at me, I'm the reason Theo broke up with him," Derek ran his hands through his hair at the memory of Stiles healing him.

"What are you talking about? What did you do?" Gage groaned. Couldn't Derek stop hurting Stiles for five minutes?

"He healed me, apparently true emissaries can heal their matched alpha, hence how he found out. When he did, his spark and my alpha connected. It was like every emotion I was feeling for Stiles had been announced over the PA. The whole room could smell it. Stiles didn't notice but everyone else did. I left immediately. Isaac came out and tried convincing me to tell him. I called Argent to take the pack to clean up Vance and his pack. Stiles and I shared a moment. He told me I could gain his trust back. He just wanted me to let him in..." Derek trailed off.

"You said no," Gage nodded understanding why Stiles felt so rejected. It was a physical moment as well. I couldn't help it, I felt his spark reaching out to me. I just needed to hold him. Theo walked in," Derek explained, looking ashamed.

"Why won't you just let him in? You need him," Gage huffed in frustration.

"I'm gonna call him," Derek pulled out his phone.

"If he's not answering your texts, what makes you think he's going to answer your call?" Gage crossed his arms. 

Derek ignored his brother as he dialed Stiles' number. "It went straight to voicemail," Derek frowned as he tried again, "he turned his phone off. I'm calling Peter." 

"Derek, no, I have not killed Stiles," Peter's voice answered the phone. 

"His phone is off," Derek growled.

"Yeah, he mentioned that. Apparently you would call him a thousand times. I'm guessing he was right," Peter responded.

"Where is he?" Derek demanded. He was in no mood to be ignored.

"He's right, here." 

Derek frowned at Peter's tone. He almost sounded like he was holding back a moan. 

"Peter," Derek growled.

"Hmm?" Peter asked innocently. 

"Put Stiles on the phone." 

Derek heard Peter tell Stiles, "He wants to talk to you,"

"Tell him my mouth is busy," Stiles said Cleary. Derek felt his stomach flip.

"Stiles, are you trying to get me killed?" Peter hissed. Was that fear in Peter's tone?

"He's kidding, obviously." 

Derek wished he could hear Peter's heart beat through the phone.

"I don't like him there with you, I'm coming back," Derek snapped before hanging up.

"Derek, what are you doing?" Gage huffed. 

"I don't trust them together," Derek growled grabbing his keys.

"Derek, calm down Stiles wouldn't sleep with Peter." He'd heard Stiles' comment. 

"If he thought it would piss me off he would," Derek disagreed.

"That's ridiculous, Stiles wouldn't do that," Gage rolled his eyes. 

"Trust me, I know Stiles, and he's pretty mad, I wouldn't put anything past him right now." 

Before Gage could argue, Derek was out the door.

-

Derek took the stairs two at a time. He stopped short about half way up.

"Peter," Stiles muttered the werewolf's name sensually causing Derek's heart to drop. Maybe he'd heard wrong. 

"Derek's here," Peter's voice said as he reached the top of the stairs. He pulled the door open to see a nervous looking Peter and a pissed off Stiles. 

Derek's eyes fell to the quickly fading mark on Stiles' neck. He wanted to snap but he couldn't bring himself to. He hurt too much. 

Stiles waited for Derek's outburst, but instead he felt an overbearing sense of sadness. He suddenly felt the need to hug Derek. What was going on? 

Derek walked towards Stiles slowly, he just wanted to touch him.

Derek reached out as he neared the hybrid. He brushed the skin just below the almost faded mark at Stiles' throat. He smelled the nerves on Peter. But Stiles' scent confused him, the anger had turned to frustration then sadness.

"So Peter then," Derek dropped his hand. 

"What about him?" Stiles asked fighting every urge to comfort Derek. He was supposed to be mad, not sad.

"I guess that's what happens when both of us reject you," Derek took a step back. 

"Peter's the only Hale who really wants me," Stiles' voice broke as he spoke.

Derek opened his mouth to say something but he quickly closed it. 

"What? You have something to say, say it," Stiles snapped growing angry again. Nothing would get Derek to let him in, not even being with Peter.

Derek only shook his head. 

Stiles felt tears building up behind his eyes. He wanted Derek so bad, he hated it, he knew it was his spark, but it still hurt. 

"Stiles," Peter said gently. 

"Don't Peter," Stiles snapped, his voice wavering with the tears. He knew what Peter wanted him to do, but he couldn't take any more rejection. Derek wanted nothing to do with him. The only reason he cared at all was because he was Stiles' matched alpha.

"Derek," Peter looked at the equally broken alpha.

"I should go," Derek felt sick and he didn't know how much longer he could stomach the  scent of Peter on Stiles. 

"Why won't you let Gage tie himself to me?" Stiles blurted as Derek turned to leave.

Derek froze. 

"Why?" Stiles repeated when Derek didn't respond.

"That wasn't my decision, that was his," Derek answered not turning around. 

"But it's because of you." 

Derek turned to see the tears threatening to spill over.

He couldn't help but step towards Stiles. 

"He thinks you should be tied to me," Derek answered sadly. 

"But you don't want me," A tear slid down Stiles' cheek, "I had hoped me becoming a true alpha would make me not want you, but...nothing's changed. I still feel just as drawn to you and I hate it." A few more tears fell. 

"I'm sorry," Derek sighed, "I wanted to prevent this, I tried." 

"I know. That's why I'm going to leave the pack."

"Stiles," Peter spoke in a tone that said to make sure this is what he wanted.

"What?" Derek frowned.

"I'm an alpha now. I think it's better I-"

"No, you're still an unclaimed emissary, it's too dangerous to be alone," Derek's tone turned serious, but his eyes desperate.

"I won't be alone," Stiles glanced at a stiff looking Peter. 

"Why are you doing this?" Derek's voice broke. His wolf was devastated.

"Because, I can't be around you. My spark wants you, bad, but you don't want me. Theo rejected me because of you, Gage rejected me because of you, Peter is the only one who won't reject me despite your objection. You can't keep controlling my life. I let you go a long time ago, Derek. I told you, I cleared the chessboard, you're no longer the king." The tears fell freely now. 

Derek felt sick, he was losing Stiles for good. 

"Damn it Derek, just tell him," Peter snapped.

"Peter, don't," Stiles sighed.

"Are you really okay with losing him? Because of your stubbornness I got to kiss him, do you know what his lips feel like? They're amazing, the scent he gives off when he's turned on is intoxicating. The way he moved his hips. The way his ass felt pressed against me," 

"Peter, stop," Stiles begged.

"The way his hands felt on me. The way he felt under my hands. The sound of him panting my name, do you even know how euphoric he is? He-"

"Enough" Derek barked, his eyes crimson red. 

"Tell him," Peter said again.

"I can't," Derek growled.

"What are you so afraid of? That he's like Kate or Jennifer?" Peter asked. 

"Peter, I'm warning you to stop," Derek already wanted to rip his throat out, again. 

"Tell him." 

"No." Derek growled again.

"What aren't you telling me?" Stiles asked. Maybe there was more to this situation that Stiles didn't know. 

"Nothing," Derek snapped. 

"He's in love with you." Just as quickly as the words left Peter's mouth, Derek had him against the wall by his throat. 

"I warned you to stop." 

"You can kill me, but it won't change anything," Peter struggled to speak.

"Derek," Stiles heard the nerves in his own voice.

"Stiles, please," Derek begged him not to finish his sentence. 

Stiles weighed his options. If Derek didn't love him then he'd have to endure another rejection. If he did love him...then what? Stiles hadn't even humored the idea. What would he say? What would he do?

"Maybe you should go," Stiles finished instead. He didn't want to know. 

Derek released Peter before turning to the true alpha. "I'm sorry." Derek turned then, walking out.

Stiles felt a new ache in his chest as he watched Derek leave again, that was something he didn't think he'd ever get used to.


	39. Regretfully, Derek

Stiles took his time walking home. Peter had tried to drive him home but Stiles insisted on walking. He needed time to think about how he was going to tell the pack he was leaving. He didn't want them to blame Derek, even though he was the reason. Derek needed the pack, he needed the loyalty and the family. What he didn't need, was Stiles. 

Stiles paused at the end of the driveway. What was Derek doing up so early? It was barely even seven. Was he loading something into his car? 

 

Derek tossed the last of his bags into the trunk of his camaro. 

"Derek?" Stiles' voice froze the alpha in place. Shit.

Derek turned around slowly to see the guy he loved more than anything. 'you also broke him more than anything,' he reminded himself. 

"Wh-what are you doing?" Stiles asked though it was clear he had a pretty good idea.

Derek knew he couldn't lie to Stiles. His senses had been improving, and Derek suspected that now that he was an alpha, they were closely matched with his own.

Stiles took a few steps towards Derek. 

The overwhelming pull tugged at Derek's chest once again. He was sure he'd never stop feeling it, which is part of why he was doing this. Again.

"Please, don't do this, Derek," Stiles pleaded. 

The raven haired guy remained silent. He knew nothing that he said would fix the damage that he'd done. He'd screwed up, and he'd lost Stiles for good. 

"Please," Stiles' voice cracked. 

Derek hated the way he continued to hurt Stiles, but no matter what he did, it was never the right thing. 

"The only reason you want me to stay is because of your spark. You and I both know what's best here," Derek answered stiffly. He couldn't let Stiles change his mind. He never should have even come back.

"Best for who?" Stiles snapped, though his tone still held the pain.

Derek wanted to say it was best for Stiles but he knew Stiles wouldn't like that answer, so he remained quiet. Again, what could he possibly say?

"When are you going to stop assuming what is best for me, and starting asking me what I want?" Stiles took another step.

"Stiles, you and I both know this conversation won't change anything. I'll leave and you'll continue to hate me. At least this way, the pack doesn't lose you too." Derek fought to keep from reaching out to Stiles. 

"I don't want to hate you, Derek," Stiles voice broke. 

"After everything I've done to you?" Derek scoffed.

"I've been trying to show you, that you can be forgiven, if you just try. Not everything has to be your responsibility. I know you feel like you have to make up for what happened to your family, but it wasn't your fault. You can't control everyone around you, just so they won't get hurt. Cause all you end up doing is pushing them away," Stiles reached out for Derek, but the alpha stepped back.

"You don't think I get that? Why do you think I'm leaving? You think I want to? I don't know how to not hurt you. Every time I turn around, I'm doing something to make you hate me. You think I enjoy that? I realize I screwed up. I shouldn't have tried to take your spark, I was being selfish, and I can never undo what  I did. I left you," Derek felt tears sting his eyes. He wasn't one to cry and now definitely wasn't the time.

"You made a mistake, it happens, what's important is that you learn from them," Stiles took another step towards Derek. 

"You're right, which is why this time, I'm not coming back," Derek turned, getting into the car before Stiles could stop him. 

 

He backed out of the driveway and down the road refusing to look at Stiles again. He knew the pain he'd caused. He could feel it and smell it. But stiles was better off without him. Honestly, everyone was better off without him. Stiles was an actual alpha this time, and he had Gage and Peter to guide him. The idea that Stiles would never need Derek again hit him hard. He pulled off onto the familiar road that lead to the old Hale house, as the tears forced their way down his face. He wasn't a crier but he'd officially screwed up. He caused himself to lose everyone, for good. He climbed out of the camaro and slammed the door. He snapped, throwing his fist into the nearest tree. The tears poured from his tired eyes as he dropped to his knees. 

"Why? Why me? Why can't I fix this? Is this some sort of punishment? Will I ever be rid of this? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Derek spoke to the house as if it would understand him.

"I'm sorry everyone died because of me," Derek continued to cry.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect Laura, I'm sorry I failed as an alpha. I'm sorry that I pushed away the one person who didn't treat me different. Please, just make it stop, I don't want to hurt anymore," Derek's pleas turned into a broken whisper. He didn't know who he was talking to. I guess no one really. There wasn't anyone around, he was completely alone. Which is was how his life was to deemed to be.

 

-

 

"Stiles, I can't have someone arrested for no reason," Sheriff Stilinski spoke over the phone.

"Dad, please, I don't know where he's going. The last time he took off, no one knew where he was. I'm just asking that you hold him until I can get there," Stiles begged as he rushed into his room, pulling a bag from his closet. He tossed it on the bed. As he reached his Dresser, a piece of paper with his name on it caught his attention. He stopped listening to his dad as he stared at the letter. The handwriting was unmistakable. Derek.

"-lose my job, why don't you just-"

"Dad, let me call you back," Stiles hung up the phone cutting off his dad.

 Stiles opened the letter with shaking hands.

"Stiles,

           I've never been good with words, which is why I'm writing this. At least this way if I say something I regret, I can just start over right? I just wanted to start by saying that I'm sorry. I know that doesn't fix anything, but I want you to know how truly sorry I really am. I have been up all night trying to figure out what to do. When you told me you were planning on leaving the pack, because you couldn't be around me, I knew I'd done irreparable damage. I have three regrets in my life that will haunt me forever, one was trusting Kate, two was trusting you. Kate betrayed me in such a way that I can never forgive myself for allowing. But you, you didn't betray me. In fact you did the opposite. You knew about Kate and yet you never told anyone, and you never mentioned it. And when you finally did bring it up, it was to convince me I wasn't at fault. You have been nothing but completely understanding. So when I found out you were my true emissary, I was beyond relieved. I knew I could trust you. But then I thought about what that really meant. You would be risking your life for mine. I wasn't worth losing you, So I did the third thing I regret, hurting you. I left. I left to do something that I thought was best, without even asking how you felt. And it's been a downpour ever since. I've tried to do right by you, but I just keep hurting you. And I didn't have the guts to say this to your face, which is why I put it in this letter.... I do want you. I want all of you, forever, but I don't deserve you. I don't deserve anyone. I had hoped that your alpha status would also break this connection between us, but alas, fate continues to torment me. So in order to stop hurting you, I have decided to leave, but this time I will be finding a way to remove my alpha status in stead of your spark. I know a witch who can help me. I hope you understand that I only ever wanted to protect you, especially from me. I'm sorry that I have failed you, once again.          

                                                                                               Regretfully, Derek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I don't know what to do...I have several people who want Stiles with Derek and Several people who don't. I have considered doing a sequel that takes place a few years later, or several months later. Or Stiles could end up with someone else. Or I could figure out some way to make Stiles forgive Derek. What have I done!? 


	40. Brick wall

Stiles dialed Derek's number, waiting anxiously. "Come on," Stiles begged into the phone, "Please, answer."

"You've reached the voicemail box of-"

"Damn it," Stiles swore as he listened to the automated message that Derek hadn't bothered to set up. 

"Derek, you're unbelievable, you know that? I don't know why I'm even bothering to call you, you didn't answer, as I suspected would be the case. And if you even bother to listen to this voicemail, it's totally pointless cause it's like talking to a brick wall. A really really stubborn brick wall, with thorns. That's what you are Derek, a really stubborn brick wall with thorns. Apparently I like brick walls and thorns cause I continue to throw myself at you trying to to break you down, but I just keep ending up bruised and bloody. Damn it, call me," Stiles threw his phone down in frustration.

Just then there was a gentle knock at his partially open door. Gage poked his head in, "Hey Stiles, did I just hear you call Derek a stubborn brick wall with thorns?" 

"Did you know?" Stiles whirled around to face Gage.

"That he was a brick wall?" Gage asked raising his brow in confusion.

"That he was planning on leaving," Stiles snapped.

"Leaving where?" Gage frowned. 

"Beacon Hills. Again," Stiles snapped, "For good, this time" His voice dropped. It frustrated him to think about.

Gage let out a heavy sigh, "How do you know?"

"He was loading his car, when I got home," Stiles huffed.

"You let him leave?" Gage huffed.

"Let him? Derek doesn't listen to me. I tried to get my dad to arrest him for the day, but he wouldn't. Derek said he's gonna get some witch to remove his alpha status so our connection will break. Is that possible?"

"Yes, it's very possible, but it's also very dangerous. Laura used to threaten our parents that she would get hers removed once it was passed on to her. She was to be the next 'Alpha Hale' She didn't to be. Our mother made her watch someone have it done. Laura never threatened it again."

"Why? What happened?" Stiles asked, worry laced in his tone.

"It's excruciating, and only a sixty percent chance you'll live through it," Gage answered in a stressed tone.

 Stiles ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"How long ago did he leave?" Gage asked pulling out his phone.

"Like fifteen minutes ago," Stiles gestured to the door, "I tried calling him, hence the brick wall comment you heard," 

"Here, use my phone, he'll think it's me. You have to stop him," Gage shoved his phone into Stiles hand.

"Didn't you just hear me? He doesn't listen to me," Stiles huffed.

"Stiles, he loves you, he'll listen, you just have to make him," Gage insisted.

Stiles rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me you believe that too."

"Stiles, I know you didn't believe Peter or Theo, but believe me," 

"How did you know about Peter?" Stiles frowned.

"Derek told me what happened last night," Gage dropped his voice a bit.

"Look, whatever reason you guys have for thinking Derek loves me, is ridiculous, Derek couldn't love me less than he does, in fact-"

"Stiles, he told me he was in love with you," Gage snapped cutting Stiles off mid sentence.

"What?" Stiles frowned. Was Gage telling the truth?

"Derek has been in love with you since before he left the first time, which is why he is so concerned with keeping you safe," 

Stiles listened for any stutter or blip in Gage's heartbeat, there was none. 

"He didn't go about it the right way, at all, but he really was just trying to protect you," Gage continued.

Stiles grabbed the letter from his bed rereading it carefully.

"What is that?" Gage asked stepping into Stiles room more.

Stiles ignored Gage as he reached the part that he was looking for.

'I didn't have the guts to say this to your face, which is why I put it in this letter....I do want you. I want all of you, forever, but I don't deserve you.' 

Stiles gripped the letter tightly. 

"How do I stop him?" Stiles asked looking at Gage.

"Call him," Gage said nodded towards his phone in Stiles' hand. 

Stiles' hands shook as he dialed Derek's number. 

"Gage, I know you're pissed but I can't do this anymore," Derek's voice answered. He sounded like he'd been crying. 

"Derek," Stiles' voice was quieter than he'd intended.

Silence.

"Please don't hang up, I just want you to listen," Stiles pleaded.

"Stiles," Derek sighed in defeat. 

"Please don't do this. I know you don't want me to risk my life for you but I want to. You're just as important to me as any other member of this pack. I know you think I hate you, I don't. I hate that you continue to punish yourself. I'm begging you not to go through with this." Stiles bit his lip to keep from crying. 

Silence.

"Derek, please say something."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Stiles," Derek huffed into the phone.

"How about, okay Stiles, I'm coming back right now," Stiles looked at Gage. He hoped the alpha was right and that Derek would listen to him. 

"Why? What's the point? Your an alpha now, I'm out of the picture, so you can date Theo and tie yourself to Gage. Isn't that what you wanted?" Derek asked.

"No, I mean sort of, yeah, but no. I mean I don't know." Stiles ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Stiles, take care of my brother for me," with that, Derek hung up.

Stiles felt his stomach twist. "He's not coming back."

"Damn it, Derek," Gage growled, "you said he was going to see a witch, what witch?" Gage asked.

"I don't know, here," Stiles handed Gage the letter Derek had written him.

"I know a witch who can help me?" Gage frowned.

"He knows a witch that can-" Gage stopped suddenly thinking of a witch they'd met back in Virgina when they'd been passing through to New York. They'd been followed and needed somewhere to lay low. Bonnie had taken them in for a few weeks. 

"Do you know where he's going?" Stiles asked hopefully.

"Bonnie Bennett. She helped us for a time after the fire. We kept in touch over the years. It has to be her," Gage pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing the familiar witch's number.

"She's not answering," Gage growled.

"Where can we find her?" 

"Last I heard she was still in Mystic Falls, Virginia." Gage shrugged.

"Virginia?" Stiles scoffed, "well we know he didn't make it to Virginia in the," Stiles checked his watch, "fourty-five minutes he's been gone."

"So we beat him there," Gage said, hurrying out of Stiles' room. 

"Beat him-he's got an hours head start and a sports car," Stiles huffed following after Gage.

"Stiles, I have to go after my brother, I can't lose him, I've lost too much family," Gage looked at Stiles, hoping the hybrid would understand.

"You're not leaving me here," Stiles frowned at Gage. Did he really think Stiles was going to sit home twiddling his thumbs?

"The pack needs an alpha, someone has to stay," Gage shook his head.

"They've been without an alpha before," Stiles argued. 

"But they had you," Gage turned to Stiles, placing a hand on his cheek, "I'll be back in a few days."

"I'm coming with you," Stiles demanded stepping in front of the door, his eyes crimson red.

"Ethan was an alpha," Scott said glancing at the werewolf behind him. The pack heard Stiles and Gage's conversation and had come to investigate.

"See, perfect, it's just a few days," Stiles agreed.

"Seriously? I have to answer to him?" Isaac groaned.

"Isaac, shut up, you didn't have any trouble answering to him the other night," Stiles snapped.

Isaac's cheeks flared in embarrassment, while Ethan paled.

"Stiles, I can handle Derek, just-"

Stiles put his hand up silencing Gage, "Let me make this clear, I'm going with, or without you, so you can either shut up and drive, or give me your keys," Stiles demanded.

"You are as stubborn as Derek, no wonder you were fated as his emissary," Gage grumbled grabbing his keys.

Stiles grinned turning to the pack, "Ethan, you're in charge, failing that, Lydia." 

"What, why Lydia?" Scott huffed.

"We'll be back in a few days," Stiles continued, ignoring Scott, "if you run into trouble call me. If you need back up, call Peter."

"Peter?" Malia asked in disbelief.

"Peter," Stiles repeated.

"But-" 

"Call Peter," Stiles demanded again, this time with a growl.

"Call Peter, got it," Malia agreed backing up a bit.

"Be careful," Theo pleaded, putting a gentle hand on Stiles' arm.

Stiles nodded, "We will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay between my Wattpad readers and my AO3 readers I have decided to use an idea I had planned for this story earlier and scrapped. I think it fits better now and will serve purpose that will further escalate the story. It's gonna get a little dark, so I hope you guys are good with that. Not too bad but definitely worth mentioning. 


	41. Bonnie

Stiles pulled his coat around him tighter as Gage knocked on the door to the old boarding school. 

"Are you sure she's here?" Stiles asked, looking around for any proof that a witch lived here.

"The sheriff said she taught here," Gage responded knocking again.

The door suddenly opened to a man with piercing blue eyes.

"May I help you?" The guy asked giving Gage a smirk.

"Umm, we're looking for Bonnie Bennett, is she here?" Gage asked nervously.

Stiles could smell something new radiating from Gage, was that what nerves smelled like?

"Sure, follow me," The guy turned leading the pair inside.

"I'm Damon by the way," The blue eyed guy turned to Gage.

"I'm Gage, this is Stiles," Gage answered. 

"What brings you to Mystic Falls?" Damon asked. 

"Bonnie, obviously," Stiles scoffed. 

"Someone's on edge," Damon winked at Stiles, who rolled his eyes. 

"It was a long trip," Gage said tossing Stiles a look that said behave. 

"Where from?" 

"California," 

"That's an awfully long way. Bonnie has a phone you know," Damon raised a brow at Gage. 

"Yeah, she didn't answer," Gage seemed to be growing more uncomfortable.

"Well I know she's working on...something difficult so she's been rather occupied the past couple of days," Damon responded stopping in front of a door.

"Hey, Bon Bon, you've got company," Damon tapped on her door.

"It's open," She called from inside. 

Damon opened the door to reveal a young woman standing on a desk chair trying to reach a book from the top shelf of a bookcase.

"Bonnie Bennett, are you trying to break your neck?" Damon snapped as he hurried over, catching the witch as the chair rolled out from under her, and a pile of books fell from the top.

"Next time, ask for help, unless you're trying to kill yourself in which case I'm gonna start force feeding you my blood" Damon set Bonnie on her feet, smirking down at her.

 

Bonnie only smiled before turning to Gage,  
"Derek, there you are, I was beginning to worry- oh, you said you were coming alone?" Bonnie frowned noticing Stiles suddenly.

"Wait, is this..." Bonnie stepped towards Stiles.

"It is, I can feel his magic," Bonnie smiled.

"Derek's not here yet?" Stiles asked ignoring her comment about his spark.

Bonnie looked at Gage, "Oh, Gage it's you, I thought- I'm sorry." Bonnie shook her head.

"Sorry to just drop in, I called but you never answered." Gage smiles hugging the witch.

"I had my number changed, long story, I messaged Derek a few weeks ago," 

"You are expecting Derek," Stiles cut in. Gage had been right.

"Yeah, he was supposed to be here by now. He said he'd call when he got to Virgina. I expected to hear from him two hours ago. I called but it went straight to voicemail," Bonnie answered biting her lip.

Stiles was suddenly hit with a scent he didn't recognize. He was really new at the whole smelling emotions thing and it drove him crazy.

"Can you do a locator spell?" Gage asked Bonnie with a hopeful look.

"Of course, I'll just need your blood," Bonnie nodded rushing to clear off her desk.

"That's not ominous at all," Stiles remarked. 

Bonnie smiled at the hybrid, "I can see why Derek likes you," 

Stiles felt his stomach knot at the comment. 

"Okay, come here, " Bonnie held her hand out to Gage. She sliced his palm gently allowing a few drops of blood to hit the map she'd laid out.

"Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem." Bonnie chanted quietly.

"What's she doing?" Stiles asked looking at the map.

"A locator spell. We're related so she's using my blood to locate where Derek is," Gage answered.

"If you could locate him, why didn't you do this months ago?" Stiles snapped. 

"Because Derek didn't want us to know where he went then. This time, he's just missing," Gage answered. 

"It's not working," Bonnie panted.

"What do you mean it's not working?" Gage frowned at the witch.

"He's been cast with a cloaking spell," Bonnie answered.

"What does that mean?" Stiles asked worriedly. He felt his spark growing irritable.

"It means he's with another witch, and they don't want us to find him." Bonnie answered.

"You said you were expecting him," Gage looked at Bonnie. Why would he go to another witch?

"I was, I- I don't think he's there by choice," Bonnie answered. 

Stiles felt his arms tingle.

"Stiles," Gage smelled the stress coming off of the hybrid, "you have to calm down."

"Calm down? How can I calm down? Derek is missing, again, only this time it's not by choice," Stiles growled, his eyes flashing.

"Here, drink this," Bonnie poured a small vile into a tiny cup.

Stiles looked at the cup distrustfully.

"It'll calm your spark," Bonnie urged pushing the cup into Stiles' hands.

Stiles sniffed at the liquid, but it was scentless.

"What is it?" Stiles frowned downing the liquid.

"My own brew, I use it on a few of my... overzealous students," Bonnie answered.

"So what can we do?" Gage asked looking down at the unmoved blood on the map.

"I don't know," Bonnie nibbled her bottom lip as she looked over the books she had.

"I have a question," Damon piped in then, "What is he?" Damon pointed at Stiles. 

"He's a werewolf, druid hybrid," Bonnie answered.

"Uh huh, and was is that exactly?" Damon frowned. 

"He's a druid that got turned." Bonnie answered.

"What's this sparkly shit he's got going on?" Damon looked at Stiles' hand. 

"It's his magic. You see druids are where we get our magic from originally. I use magic, but Stiles is magic. We can cast a spell and harness energy. They are energy. They summon energy," Bonnie looked at Stiles as if he was a relict she'd been dying to own.

"Can we use it?" Stiles asked.

"Use what?" Bonnie frowned.

"My spark, to find Derek."

"I could if you were tied to him, but..." Bonnie trailed off.

"But I'm not," Stiles finished sadly. 

"I'll do anything I can to help," Bonnie gave Stiles a sympathetic look.

Stiles looked to Gage who was gripping the table harshly. He could feel the sadness and anger the alpha was feeling. He wondered if he was still Gage's anchor. He reached out to him placing his hand on his shoulder. 

Gage turned and threw himself into Stiles' arms. He gripped the hybrid tightly. Stiles felt his spark reach out to comfort Gage. It was soothing for the both of them.

"We'll find him, I promise," Stiles only hoped that they could find him before it was too late.


	42. Cursed

Derek struggled against the chains that held him. He was chained to a chair. He'd woken up in this strange room with no memory of how he'd gotten here. 

"About time you woke up, I was beginning to think I'd used too strong a spell to knock you out," A female voice spoke. 

"Who are you?" Derek growled. 

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Ava Ryan," the gave a small curtsey. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders in loose waves. 

"Ryan?" Derek knew that name. 

"Yes, I am the daughter of Olivia Ryan. The witch who's grimoire you sought. And as I see, found." Ava picked up a book from a nearby table. 

"Why am I here?" Derek growled fighting the chains. 

"You wanted this book for a reason, there's a spell you were going to use. I heard some wolf was looking for my mother's old grimoire so I did a bit of digging," Ava set the book down turning back to Derek, "I've been following you, Derek Hale."

"Why?" Derek growled again.

"The spell you were planning on using, do you know the story?" Ava asked.

"Your mother used it on a kid who was dangerous to keep him from hurting people," Derek answered.

Ava chuckled, "That's what my mother allowed everyone to believe. But there's more to the story," Ava pulled a chair in front of Derek before taking a seat. She crossed her legs and smiled sweetly.

"Once upon a time there was a young woman who met a man. She loved him so much they married. Several months after they were married they had a child. A young boy, Thomas. One night, the boy grew ill, the father insisted the boy was fine but the mother disagreed. They argued. Amidst their arguing the man emitted sparks from his hands. The woman demanded he leave. She was afraid. She had the child checked by a doctor, but they said it was but a simple fever. Over the years the mother learned of the druids and their ways. On the eve of his fifteenth birthday the boy fell ill again. She came across a healer who claimed the boy held immense power. His spark would soon ignite. Most sparks didn't ignite on their own. His was just too strong to stay buried. The woman asked to stop it. She didn't want it for her child. The woman pointed her in the direction of a witch," Ava stood up making her way back to the table. She opened the book.

"I remember the night well. The woman came in frantic, claiming her son to have a fever she could not break. She told my mother he had an evil within him that needed to be removed. I watched as my mother spent hours tending to Thomas. She did spell after spell but could find no evil. The woman told my mother the truth. She did not want her son to have this spark. She offered my mother double the pay if she would remove it," Ava's voice grew quiet. There were obvious tears in her eyes.

 

"They spent weeks with us, as my mother worked on the spell to remove his spark. One night she finally figured it out. But I told Thomas about his father and what really happened. He deserved to know. I didn't want him to lose his spark. He wasn't evil. My mother performed the spell while we slept. The next day, I could sense it. It was gone. He confronted his mother. He was so upset with her. Several months later, my mother told me, he took his own life. Thomas had found his father behind his mother's back and his father showed him his spark. Thomas grew resentful towards his mother and eventually depressed. She had taken a part of him away," Ava wiped at a tear that had escaped down her cheek.

"My mother regretted ever creating that spell and swore to never use it again," Ava closed the book. "I don't know why she didn't destroy it." 

Derek could sense her anger growing.

"You were going to use it on someone, you claim so dear to you. I've seen him. His spark is strong and it reaches out to you."

Derek clenched his jaw at the fact that this witch had been watching Stiles. 

"I know your story. I know you feel the guilt of your family's death. I know you feel the guilt of Stiles being turned. I know you hate yourself. You think you're cursed," Ava touched Derek's cheek gently, "You don't know the meaning of cursed."

Ava's blood red smile made Derek uneasy. 

"You claim to love Stiles-"

"I do," Derek snarled.

"If that were true, you would let him in," Ava boomed angrily. Her sweet demeanor now gone. 

"You don't deserve him, but he deserves you, so I'm going to show you what being cursed is really like," Ava snarled gripping Derek's head in her hands.

 

 

Stiles' sobs echoed in Derek's loft. 

"Stiles?" Derek called for the hybrid. He couldn't pinpoint where the sobs were coming from. "Stiles, where are you?"

"Derek, why did you go?" Stiles voice cried.

"Stiles, where are you?" Derek searched the loft, but Stiles wasn't there. "Stiles!" 

 

 

Suddenly he was back in the room with Ava.

"How did that taste?" Ava asked Her cherry colored lips curving into a large grin.

"What was that?" Derek could have sworn it was real. It felt so real.

"Stiles is looking for you, that's what he's doing right now, but you can't see him, only hear him. You think your meant to be alone forever, I'm gonna make it so you're never alone again. Everytime you close your eyes, you're gonna hear him, you're gonna see him. Maybe it's real, maybe it's not, you won't be able to tell the difference. That's my curse for you," Ava spoke maliciously.

"Why are you doing this?" Derek growled trying to shift, but he couldn't. 

"Because you were going to take a part of Stiles away from him. So now I'm going to take the ability to differentiate between what's real and what's not, away from you. I'm going to plant things in your head that will drive you mad. You were too afraid to tie yourself to him so now I'm going to tie the memory of him to you," Ava sneered, "don't worry it doesn't effect him one bit, he's perfectly safe."

Derek went to respond, but before he could, everything faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *AN*  
> Next chapter is going to be a lot more torture so just be prepared.   
> Also I'm sorry for blowing up your notifications with updates. I've been in bed for four days, sick, sort of, it's a long story... and I'll probably be in bed for a few more so I should have the next chapter up sooner than later. 


	43. Real

"It's not real, it's not real, it's not real," Derek repeated to himself.

"What's not real?" Stiles asked from behind Derek. The alpha turned around to see Stiles smiling behind him. 

"You're not," Derek answered quietly

"I'm pretty sure, I'm real," Stiles patted Derek on the shoulder before stepping past him. 

Derek touched his arm where Stiles' hand had just been. That felt real.

"Stiles," Derek said suddenly causing Stiles to turn around. 

"Yeah?" 

Derek grabbed Stiles' hand and pulled him in close. 

"Whoa, okay, I thought we were passed all the uncomfortably close proximity threats," Stiles chuckled nervously.

"You're nervous," Derek frowned at the scent. Stiles stopped smelling like fear around him ages ago.

"And you're acting strange," Stiles pulled away from Derek, stepping back,

-

Derek smelled him before he saw him. The familiar whiskey eyed guy walked towards him.

"Derek, what are you doing here?" Stiles snapped pulling Derek off the lacrosse field and behind the bleachers.

"Are you trying to get arrested?" 

"Aressted?" Derek frowned.

"Look, until we have proof that you didn't kill anybody, which I still think you did by the way-"

"I would never hurt anyone," Derek interrupted.

Stiles scoffed, "then what's this?" Stiles turned to show a long scar reaching from his temple to the edge of his lips. 

"I did that?" Derek gasped.

"Yeah you got mad and lashed out, dude go home, I don't know if it's the full moon but you're out of your head right now and it's starting to freak me out."

-  
"Derek," Stiles' scream caused Derek to look up. He was in trouble. 

"Stiles?" Derek bolted in the direction of the scream. 

He opened the door to the abandoned building to see Stiles bleeding out.

"Derek," Stiles' hands shook as he kept them covered over the claw marks.

"Why did you do it?" Stiles cried.

"I- I didn't, I would never," Derek shook his head.

"Yes, you did."

-

Derek looked around the dark room, his wolf eyes adjusted quickly. Was he alone?

"If I could have just said the right thing, he would have come back," Stiles' voice spoke.

"Stiles," Derek called out. 

"Maybe he's embarrassed by the fact that I'm his true emissary," 

"Stiles, that's not true," Derek called into the darkness.

-

Derek woke up in his bed in the loft, he sat up wiping the tired from his eyes. He smelled the strong scent of blood, he opened his eyes to see his hands covered. 

Derek jumped up almost tripping over a body, a bloody, torn open body. A dead body. Stiles' dead body," 

A cry ripped from Derek's throat as he dropped to his knees by Stiles' side. Had he done this?

-

Derek gasped as his eyes focused on the familiar witch.

"What are you doing to me?" Derek snarled. They had only been dreams. They felt so real, they hurt like they were real.

"I'm toying with you, isn't it fun?" Ava grinned.

"When I get out of these chains, I'm gonna-" 

"Rip my throat out with your teeth? Yeah, I did a little poking around in your head. You have a lot of memories with Stiles. Some nice ones, a lot of not so nice ones," Ava caressed Derek's cheek with the back of her fingers.

"Kate was right, you are a  beautiful man. Tell me, would it hurt worse for Stiles to be with your insane uncle, or your identical brother? I mean Peter tried to kill Stiles but Gage looks just like you, one has to hurt worse right?" Ava placed her hands on Derek's head again, "Let's find out."

-

Derek opened the door to the pack house to see a shirtless Stiles lying on top of Gage, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

"Gage," Stiles mumbled into the kiss.

"Hmm?" Gage hummed in response.

"I love you." 

Derek felt his insides twist and nausea bubble up inside him.

-

"Peter," Stiles' panted. 

Derek paused outside of Stiles' bedroom door. He was hit with the scent of lust.

Derek clenched his hands.

"I love you Stiles," Peter spoke sweetly.

"I love you too," Stiles' voice sounded happier than he'd ever heard it.

-

Derek was once again brought face to face with Ava.

"So Gage hurt you worse. I wish I could say I was surprised, but I'm just not." Ava shrugged, "can you imagine what they're doing right now? I bet Gage is holding Stiles, comforting him. Telling him that he'll find someone who won't hurt him, or leave him, someone who's always there for him, much like Gage." 

"You're sick," Derek snarled.

"Oh, sweetie-you don't mind if I call you sweetie do you?" Ava smirked, "I'm just having a little fun. You want to see sick, I'll show you sick."

-

Derek stood in front of the old Hale house. 

The sound of snapping twigs caused Derek to turn, seeing Stiles walking through the woods, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. 

"Stiles, what are you doing out here alone?" Derek asked.

Stiles stopped short. He looked at Derek quizzically. 

His scent reached Derek's nose, but it wasn't right.

"Stiles, the full moon is in a few hours," Derek pointed at the setting sun.

"Ah, you're Derek, right?" Stiles asked, as if remembering.

Derek frowned, "Stiles, what are you doing?" 

"Well I was taking a nice stroll through the woods, but now I'm talking to you," Stiles took a step towards Derek.

"Stiles what's wrong?" Something wasn't right, his scent, the look in his eyes, this wasn't Stiles.

"Nothing's wrong," Stiles smiled in a way that made Derek's wolf bristle.

"You must miss him something awful, to think I'm him. It's fun actually, the pain it causes you to see his face, but knowing it's not him," Stiles took a step towards Derek.

"He's gone, forever. You know there's no bringing him back, it's just me now."

"Void," Derek stepped back. 

"He never loved you, not like you did him," Void smiled as he continued towards Derek.

"I could feel all his emotions, love, anger, terror, you know what he felt when you were around?" 

Derek closed his eyes. This wasn't real.

"He was scared of you, he didn't trust you, he had hoped you'd die so he wouldn't have to deal with you any longer."

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real," Derek chanted, keeping his eyes closed. 

"This is real," Void snarled, "open your eyes and accept just how real this really is." 

Derek opened his eyes slowly. There in front of him was a grave. Stiles' name sketched neatly into the stone.

Derek dropped to his knees, tears spilling down his face.

"You might have been able to save him, if he could have trusted you," Void smiled maliciously,"You were the king on his chessboard because you were the most feared. You had to control everything and everyone around you to protect yourself. Well look where it got you."

Suddenly the image of Stiles' grave turned into a lifeless body on the floor of his loft. His eyes no longer bright and happy, but dull and lifeless. His once full, pink lips, pale and chapped. Blood pooled around him, his neck ripped open by a single slice. 

"He could have told you what I was planning, I told him he could. I knew he never would because you never took him seriously, he thought you would kill him straight away. I'm the one who made you protect me, he never felt like a priority to you, you pushed him away because you were afraid of your feelings for him," Void taunted Derek. 

"If you had let him in, this could have been avoided. If you'd let yourself trust him, nobody would have died. You know he was your strongest ally, the best player. He protected you with his life, and you wanted to repay that by ripping away his spark," Void snarled in Derek's ear.

"I thought I was protecting him, I thought he was better off without me," Derek cried.

"That's where you're wrong. Didn't you always say wolves were stronger as a pack? If you had worked with Stiles instead of against him you would have been a better alpha. You wouldn't have lost Stiles forever,"

-

Derek woke to silence. The room was dark and he was chained to a chair. His wolf senses were dulled so heavily he was practically human. Where was he? Was this real?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this proved to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. Lol I hope it's okay. I rewrote it like 3 times so...


	44. He's close

Gage peered into Stiles' room to see the hybrid asleep at his computer. He'd spent the last few weeks trying to find Derek non-stop, to no avail.

"Stiles," Gage nudged Stiles gently.

The true alpha stirred slowly. He'd barely slept lately. 

"Hey, I got a call from your dad, he wants to see us at the station," Gage spoke gently. Stiles had been on edge lately and his spark was extra sensitive. 

"What? Why? I didn't get a call," Stiles grabbed his phone to see three missed calls from his dad.

"Shit, what did he say? Did he find Derek? Is he alive? Please don't tell me he's dead," Stiles was on his feet in seconds.

"He just said he wanted to talk to you and I," Gage shook his head.

-

"Dad, did you find him? Please tell me you found him," Stiles barged into his Dad's office.

"Stiles, Gage," The sheriff stood, he looked just as tired as Stiles did.

"Come with me," He lead them into the impound garage. 

"That's Derek's car," Stiles stopped short upon seeing the familiar black sports car.

"Dispatch got a call about a car stashed in one of the storage containers on the edge of town. A deputy was sent out, this is what they found," Sheriff Stilinski pointed.

"Did you look for him? Was he there?" Stiles demanded.

"I scoured the place myself Stiles, the only thing there, was the car, his phone was inside, dead. We charged it and tried to find evidence of who could have done something to him but, there's nothing. The last person he talked to according to his phone was Gage," Sheriff held out the black device, "We searched the car for prints, signs of a break in, nothing. The keys were inside." 

Stiles gripped his hair with both hands, letting out a frustrated growl. Sparks jumped around him.

"Stiles," Gage pulled the hybrid into him. He had become Stiles' anchor during the past few weeks. "We'll find him."

"It's been almost 3 weeks, don't you think we would have found him by now?" Stiles snapped burying his head into Gage's chest. He was tired and he was stressed.

"I'll call Bonnie, maybe she can find some sort of magical clue we can't," Gage offered.

"If his car was left here, he never even made it out if Beacon Hills," Stiles pulled back from Gage, "That means he has to be here, right?"

"I don't know," Gage answered honestly.

"Call Bonnie, get her out here as fast as possible," Stiles turned to his dad, "Can I take the car?" 

"Yeah, Gage can sign for it since it's his brother," The sheriff nodded.

-

Gage opened the door to Bonnie and Damon. 

"You brought Damon," Gage shifted nervously.

"She doesn't go anywhere without me," Damon grinned following Bonnie inside.

"Oh, Stiles," Bonnie rushed to Stiles' side, taking a seat on the couch next to him, "You're spark is acting up, are you okay?"

"Actually this is the calmest it's been in weeks," Stiles frowned at witch. It was true. He actually felt hopeful since having found Derek's car.

Bonnie looked shocked. "Stiles, your spark is reacting to something. Like it senses danger. Don't you feel that?" Bonnie touched Stiles forehead as if looking for a fever.

"Like I said this is the calmest it's been in weeks," Stiles shrugged.

"They found Derek's car stashed in a storage container, " Gage spoke up then, "The keys and his phone were inside. There weren't any other signs as to who did this, we were hoping you could look for some sort of magical clue we wouldn't be able to detect." 

"The car was here?" Bonnie frowned. 

"We don't think he made it out of Beacon Hills," Stiles responded.

"Stiles, your spark. It reaches out for an alpha that's hurt nearby right? But you can sense when Derek or Gage is hurt cause they're Hale's, but Derek is your matched alpha, your spark always reaches out to him. If he was nearby, your spark could sense him in danger right?" Bonnie looked at Stiles.

"If he's close enough, yeah, but it would have tried to lead me to him, it's like a rope that connects us and there is someone pulling us together. I don't feel that," Stiles shook his head sadly.

"That's because he's cloaked. If I can't locate him with a spell, your spark can't locate him. But that means he's close."

Stiles felt hope swell in him for the second time.

"The storage yard, that's where they found the car," Gage said, looking just as hopeful. 

"Let's go, take your pack and see if they can catch a scent. I can try and find any traces of magic and you use your spark to see if it reacts stronger," Bonnie said standing. 

-

"There's no scent to pick up," Isaac frowned.

"I can't detect any magic but it's a large area, I would have to be close enough," Bonnie looked around.

"We split up. Bonnie and Damon with me. Isaac, Gage, and Ethan go north. Scott, Allison and Lydia  go south. Theo, Liam and Malia, east. We'll take the west. Be careful," Stiles ordered.

They split into their designated groups and started off.

"Do you think we'll find him?" Stiles asked, looking at Bonnie. 

"I don't know, but he's alive, I can feel it in your spark," Bonnie answered sadly. 

"I just want to find him," Stiles sighed, the pain evident in his tone.

-

"Shit," Ava swore, "looks like our fun is over," She could hear the voices of Derek's pack.

Derek didn't respond. 

"One last momento," She smiled, pinning a sheet of paper to the front of Derek's shirt. "Sleep well, sweetie." With that she grabbed her few books and slipped out the roof door careful not to make any noise. 

 

"Derek," Stiles' voice yelled for Derek from the darkness surrounding him. 

"Stiles," Derek's voice called back. Just like he did everytime, but Stiles never heard him. He never would. Stiles wasn't alive. It was just the memory of his voice. He heard it all the time, calling for him, begging for him to return to him. But Derek wasn't the one gone, it was Stiles. He was dead because Derek refused to let him in. He was so scared of hurting Stiles, he never even considered what pushing Stiles away would do to him. It got him dead. Now he had to live with that, for the rest of his life.

-

"Bonnie, wait," Stiles looked down at his hands. Sparks jumped from them erratically. 

"Does this mean he's in pain?" Stiles asked growing frustrated. His wolf was growing angry.

"I think he's close," Bonnie looked around.

Suddenly Stiles' felt a surge he couldn't explain. His wolf came through, letting out a menacing roar, as his spark threw a large burst into the shipping containers. All the rows tumbled in a clattering of metal, all except one row.

"Stiles," Bonnie rushed to the hybrid who had fallen to his knees in a sob. "Stiles, are you okay?" 

 

"Hey, Bonnie, I think something is here," Damon noted the unmoved containers.

"It's like a magical wall kept these containers from being hit," Damon walked forward with a hand out.

Bonnie reached Damon's side.

"I feel it," Bonnie nodded holding out both hands as if she was indeed touching a wall.

"Okay, I don't feel anything," Damon frowned.

"Stiles,"

"What happend?"

"Are you okay?"

The rest of the pack rushed to their alpha's side, having heard his roar.

"I think he sensed Derek, there's something here," Bonnie called to the pack.

"What is it?" Stiles asked in a broken voice, allowing Gage and Theo to help him up.

"It's the cloaking spell. I can break it, but not alone. I'm not powerful enough. I would need to harness the energy from something or someone stronger," Bonnie frowned.

"Can you use my spark?" Stiles asked walking over to Bonnie. He looked tired.

"Are you up for it? That took a lot out of you," Bonnie asked touching Stiles' cheek gently. 

Suddenly Stiles' hands sparked again.

"He's hurting, you have to do something," Stiles' wolf was growing angry again.

Bonnie grabbed Stiles hand, and placed the other one against the invisible wall. She began chanting a spell quietly.

Stiles felt the power of his spark surging through him. Suddenly as if a bomb exploded a foot in front of them, everyone one was thrown backwards.

Stiles sat up to see a shipping container that hadn't been there before. Inside was a heartbeat, fast and erratic. Derek's scent hit Stiles next. They'd found him.


	45. My fault

Derek frowned as a door opened in the darkness that surrounded him. 

"Derek," Stiles' voice spoke in relief.

"Stiles," Derek's voice was raw and quiet. 

"I'm here, I've got you," Stiles took Derek's face in his hands. 

"You're not real," Derek said looking at the whiskey eyes he loved so much. 

"Yes, I am, I'm here," Stiles frowned letting go of Derek's face as Gage and Damon finished unchaining him.

"Stiles," Lydia handed him a sheet of paper she had unpinned from Derek's shirt. "It's to you." 

Stiles frowned snatching the letter and reading over it quickly. 

Dearest Stiles,   
                       The effects will wear off, eventually. Enjoy your newly broken alpha, you may now train him to your liking. 

                           Sincerely, Ryan

"Ryan?" Stiles frowned at the bright red kiss print planted carefully next to the name. 

"What's that on the back?" Liam asked.

Stiles flipped the page to see writing in a language he didn't know. 

"It's a spell," Lydia said reading the words effortlessly, "It looks like a linking spell,"

"It is, it's one of the spells that can be used to link an emissary to an alpha." Bonnie nodded reading the page.

"Ryan is the witch who created the spell Derek was going to use on you. Her name is Olivia Ryan, but she died years ago. It had to be her daughter, Ava." Bonnie said thoughtfully, recalling one of the history classes she taught last year.

"Why did she do this?" Stiles helped Derek to his feet. He looked weak and disoriented.

 

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Derek whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt you." 

"Shhh, it's okay, you're okay," Stiles held Derek tightly as he and Gage lead him out of the container. 

"You're dad is on his way and so is an ambulance," Scott said as they set him in the front seat of Gage's car Scott had gone to get.

"Stiles, I'm sorry," Derek mumbled again.

"You're okay now," Stiles wiped a strand of hair from Derek's sweat ridden forehead. 

"I'll never be okay, I lost you," Derek spoke, his tone exhausted.

"You didn't lose me, I'm right here," Stiles squeezed Derek's hand as if it would prove his point.

"No, you're not, you're dead, and it's my fault," Derek's voice was broken, but he couldn't cry. He didn't have any more tears to cry.

Stiles looked at Derek sadly, trying not to cry at the alpha's broken state. He wanted to tell Derek he wasn't dead, but it was clear that whatever this witch had done, she made it so Derek truly believed Stiles was dead, and no amount of telling him otherwise would change that. 

"Why would she do this to him?" Stiles felt his spark reaching out to Derek. This time, though, instead of fighting it, he felt Derek lean towards him. 

No one had an answer.

"Stiles, what the hell happened?" Stiles' dad asked, rushing towards his son.

"It was a witch, she had him," Stiles answered, he held Derek to his chest as he spoke.

"Are you alright?" 

"We're fine," Stiles nodded.

"How am I gonna explain this one?" Sheriff huffed, looking at the mess that was the shipping yard.

"Some kids were playing with the crane?" Stiles offered with a shrug.

The sheriff nodded, "I think I can make that work."

At that moment the ambulance arrived.

"Load him up," The sheriff ordered. The medics did as they were told. Stiles went to follow them but his dad stopped him.

"I'm going with him," Stiles said making it clear that he wasn't asking. 

The sheriff nodded to the medics before releasing Stiles' arm.

-

"Deaton said he'd be here shortly, Derek seems to be okay physically, but he doesn't think any of this is real. He thinks he's trapped in some dream," Stiles said walking towards the pack waiting outside of in the lobby.

Stiles bit down on his bottom lip. She did this because of me. I don't know why, but this is my fault." 

"Stiles, look at me," Gage stood forcing Stiles' chin up so their eyes met, "this is not your fault. He's gonna be fine." 

"Physically, but we don't know what she did mentally," Stiles huffed. He just wanted Derek to be okay. 

"She said in her letter that the effects would eventually wear off, we just have to help him realize that this," Gage gestured to all of them, "is real." 

Stiles only nodded. 

"He's gonna pull through," Gage said, more to himself.

"When can we see him?" Scott asked glancing down the hall.

"Melissa said she'll come get us when he wakes up," Stiles answered with tears in his eyes.

Gage grabbed Stiles' hand. They needed each other. Somehow they managed to anchor each other, even when neither felt exactly stable. 

-

Derek frowned at the bright lights that shown above him.

"Derek, can you hear me?" 

Derek turned to see Deaton standing at his side.

"You've come with bad news," Derek sighed. 

"I have?" Deaton frowned.

"Stiles is dead, I already know," Derek shook his head sadly.

"I can assure you Stiles is very much alive," Deaton frowned.

"You're lying," Derek's eyes pooled with tears. 

 

Stiles felt his spark surge within him. "Something's wrong," Stiles gripped his chair.

"He's okay, Deaton is with him," Gage put a hand on Stiles'.

"I'm going in there," Stiles said pulling away from Gage and to his feet. 

"Derek?" Stiles' voice caused Derek to turn towards the door.

"You see, Derek? Stiles is perfectly fine," Deaton nodded for Stiles to come closer.

"It's not real," Derek shook his head. 

Stiles felt the familiar pull but kept his distance. He knew if Derek was himself he would prefer the distance. 

Deaton used the distraction of Stiles to slip something into his IV. 

Derek reached for Stiles, "you aren't real. You're gone, it's my fault and now...you're everywhere." A tear fell from Derek's sage green eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Stiles gripped Derek's hand tightly, fighting his own tears. He'd never seen Derek this vulnerable.

"No, I'm sorry," Derek said his eyes closing.

"What I just gave him will help him rest without dreaming. The spell the witch used messed with his reality. He'll have residual effects for a little while," Deaton explained.

"How long?" Stiles asked looking down at the sleeping alpha.

"Days, maybe weeks, I can't know for sure," Deaton answered with a frown. 

"Is there anything I can do?" Stiles asked. Maybe his spark could heal him.

"I'm afraid not, your spark can keep him calm, but it won't be able to fix this since it's not a physical wound," Deaton answered.

Stiles watched Derek take in a breath before letting it out. Just being close to Derek helped calm him, he only wished he could do more for the alpha, after all, it was his fault.


	46. Senses

Gage and Stiles watched as Derek walked around the Beacon Hills cemetery. He'd only been released from the hospital a few hours prior. The pack had tried to give Derek some space but when he insisted on going to see someone Gage and Stiles decided to follow him.

"Mallory Everett, Jamie Morales, Charley Bradbury, Devon Lawrence...damn it Stiles, where are you?" Derek growled as he read off the names to himself.

Stiles frowned, he was looking for his grave.

Gage met Stiles' eyes with his own.

"Damn it," Derek snapped punching a nearby tree, "Stiles where the hell did they put you?" 

Stiles felt the familiar pull. He closed his eyes trying to resist it, but before he could stop himself he found himself stepping out of the trees.

"Derek." 

The alpha turned to see Stiles behind him, "Stiles, where are you? I wanted to visit your grave, but I can't find it," Tears filled Derek's green eyes. 

"Derek, I'm right here, I'm alive and I'm real," Stiles felt his own tears threatening.

"I wish that were true," Derek stepped towards Stiles, "I know you're just a memory I've created," Derek spoke sadly.

Unable to help it, Stiles pulled Derek into him. 

Derek held on to Stiles like his life depended on it.

"I'm sorry," Derek spoke, his lips pressed against Stiles' hair.

"For what?" Stiles frowned.

"For being an asshole, for being selfish, for pushing you away, for assuming I knew what was best for you," Derek's voice broke, "for not letting you in, for leaving you, for getting you killed."

Stiles pulled back to look at Derek, "Listen to me, you didn't get me killed. I'm real, I swear to you," Stiles' tone was begging Derek to believe him.

Instead of responding Derek caressed Stiles cheek gently.

Stiles was so desperate for Derek to believe he was real. He leaned in quickly, catching Derek's lips on his. 

Derek tensed, but Stiles didn't pull away. 

Derek pushed Stiles back, a look of pain on his face.

"What's wrong?" Stiles could feel his spark flare under his skin. Derek was hurting.

"That only proves how you're an illusion I thought up, you would never have really done that," Derek shook his head sadly as he stepped past the hybrid.

Gage reached Stiles, pulling him in close.

"I tried, I don't know what else to do," Stiles wiped at his tears.

"I know, we just have to give him time. Deaton said to be as normal as possible," Gage said holding Stiles. It seemed that lately he was the only thing keeping Stiles together.

 

-

Derek stepped into the pack house. His eyes landed on Theo talking with Liam. 

Theo seemed awfully chipper considering Stiles was gone. But was Theo even real? His senses weren't there to help him decide. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe he couldn't find Stiles grave because he was alive in his dream. Why else would Stiles have kissed him? 

He touched his lips with the tips of his fingers. If only it had been real.

-

Stiles felt it before his phone rang. Something was wrong. 

Stiles and Gage reached the house in record timing. They walked in to see Derek on his knees with his hands covering his ears. He was shouting at himself to wake up.

"I don't know what happened, one second he was fine, then the next he was freaking out," Theo explained, kneeling next to the alpha.

"Derek, Derek," Gage tried to get his brother to open his eyes, but he wasn't responding.

"Stiles, your spark, use it," Gage said noticing the light emitting from Stiles' clenched hands.

"I don't want to hurt him," Stiles shook his head.

"Your spark can't hurt him, remember? Use it, you have to pull him out of this," Gage begged.

Stiles nodded, kneeling next to Derek. He focused his energy to his hand and gently touched Derek's arm,

Derek's eyes opened and his hands dropped to his side. He fell silent.

"Stiles," Derek gripped the hybrid, "I can't wake up, this is a dream, I know it is," Derek sobbed into Stiles' shoulder.

"Why do you think that?" Stiles asked frowning. What had changed?

"I don't think, I know," Derek responded.

Stiles stomach twisted, "Because I'm here?" Maybe him being there was only making it worse for Derek. But if he left Derek would believe he was really dead.

"That's not the only thing," Derek shook his head, pulling back from Stiles.

"My senses, they're gone. When you were gone and everything was terrible, my senses worked perfectly, but now you're here and your grave is gone. I can't smell anything. I can't hear like I should. I can't even shift." Derek buried his head back into Stiles shoulder. 

Stiles looked up at Gage with a new look of worry. 

"Gage," Bonnie motioned for him to follow her. 

Stiles listened as they spoke out of Derek's limited earshot.

"The witch used a spell on him that has essentially rendered his wolf non existent. He's basically human." 

Stiles kept his arms around the still crying Derek. Human Derek.

"How do we undo it?" Gage asked.

"Only the witch who put it on him can, unless he has an emissary. The emissary could jump start his werewolf spark with his own, but he wouldn't be an alpha anymore," Bonnie explained.

"So Stiles could jumpstart his werewolf spark to at least get him back to a beta?" Gage asked, hopeful.

"I don't know, they aren't tethered so it may not work. Deaton would know better." 

 

-

 

"I didn't realize she'd used such a spell." Deaton frowned at a currently unconscious Derek. He'd given him something to put him to sleep for a bit. A dreamless sleep.

"Can it be undone?" Stiles asked biting his lip anxiously.

"As Bonnie said, the witch who cast it could undo it," Deaton answered.

"But we don't even know where to find her, and it could take months, if not longer, especially if she doesn't want to be found," Stiles ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I have one other solution, but you may not like it," Deaton sighed.

"I'll do anything, what is it?" Stiles looked at the vet with a hopeful look.

"You could use your spark, but Bonnie was correct in thinking it wouldn't work, unless you two were connected, officially," Deaton looked at Stiles with a knowing look.

"You want me to tie myself to him?" Stiles frowned at the druid. Was he crazy?

"It makes sense, the spell that was pinned to Derek's shirt, it was a linking spell, to bind an emissary and an alpha. She wanted you to do this," Lydia piped in. 

"I believe Lydia is correct," Deaton nodded.

Stiles looked down at the now human Derek. He wouldn't want this, there had to be another way.


	47. Anything

Stiles spent hours pouring over Deaton's books and records. He was determined to find a way to undo the witch's spell. 

"Stiles, we've been at this all day, I think if there was another way Deaton would know it," Scott huffed, leaning back in his chair.

"I can't give up," Stiles shook his head. He couldn't tie himself to Derek, that's not something Derek would forgive easily, if ever.

"Maybe we should try to find the witch, wouldn't you like to rip her apart?" Malia threw her hands up. 

"We don't have time to find her, and even if we did, it's not likely she'd undo it," Stiles shook his head going to reach for another book when his hand sparked. 

"He's having another episode, isn't he?" Allison asked. 

Stiles clenched his fists and nodded. Derek had gone back home with Gage while Stiles stayed behind.

"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way," Lydia said thoughtfully.

"How so?" Allison frowned.

"We're trying to find a solution that doesn't exist. What if instead of trying to find a solution, we make one."

"What are you thinking?" Stiles asked the redhead, curiously.

"You're not just a druid, you're a true alpha too, and your Derek's true emissary. What if we used your true alpha spark instead of your emissary spark? I read once that the ancestors of the myan witch coven used to bind their coven leaders with a ritual rather than a spell like most covens. What if we could find a similar ritual that could use Stiles' alpha spark instead," Lydia looked thoughtful.

"Lydia, you just gave me an idea," Deaton opened a drawer pulling out a book, "this is a book of all the old law rituals done by the druids. There was a Gaelic ritual used to transfer the spark of one alpha to another upon death. This was used in families to pass on the pack to the eldest child," Deaton flipped carefully through the old book.

"Like Laura. Gage said she was to become the alpha after their mother," Stiles nodded.

"Exactly, when the child is born the ritual is done. Once Talia was killed, Laura became the alpha. It can only be voided if someone steals the alpha spark," Deaton explained,   
"Maybe I can use the same ritual to transfer the alpha spark to Derek from Stiles." 

"Wait, wouldn't that require Stiles to die?" Malia frowned.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Stiles shuddered at the memory of the nogitsune.

"Your spark would force that door closed, there wouldn't be risk of anything getting in, not like last time." Deaton knew Stiles' fear.

"It says here it can only be passed on to family," Lydia read from the page Deaton had stopped at.

"True, however Stiles and Derek have a connection that runs deeper than family."

"Cause I'm his true emissary," Stiles nodded.

"What happens to Stiles after?" Scott asked, looking at his best friend.

"He will lose his werewolf status completely," Deaton turned to Stiles, "you'll just be a druid."

Stiles didn't even hesitate, "Do it."

-

Getting Derek to cooperate was easier than they thought it would be. He truly believed he was in a dream and Gage had convinced him the best way to wake up was to finish the dream. 

Now Derek and Stiles were standing hand in hand while Deaton performed the transfer ritual. He mixed together a liquid that Stiles couldn't help but grimace at. It looked less than appetizing.

"Drink it," Deaton handed the concoction to Stiles. 

"Of course I have to drink it," Stiles scoffed. Derek had to give a drop of blood and Stiles had to drink what was essentially puddle water.

Once Stiles managed to force the liquid down, not easily either, Deaton lead him into the back room.

"I need someone you have a connection with, someone who can bring you back," Deaton said pausing. 

The room turned to Derek. 

"Gage, come with me," Deaton gestured for the twin to follow him.

Stiles looked at the familiar tub of ice, "I hate this part." 

Stiles stepped carefully into the literal ice water. 

"Are you sure about this?" Gage asked nervously. Stiles could smell the anxiety on the alpha. 

"Gage, I'll be fine," Stiles nodded. He trusted Deaton. 

Gage nodded before pushing Stiles under the water.

-

Derek gripped his head. It felt like it was splitting in half. Then suddenly it was gone.

He looked up to see himself surrounded by his pack minus Gage and Stiles. 

Suddenly the loud thrum of a heartbeat sounded in his ears, followed by another, then another. 

Derek felt his fangs extend, and every smell in the room hit his nose. 

He suddenly heard a familiar voice, "did it work?" 

Stiles. 

Derek felt the sounds drain and his fangs retract. He was able to pinpoint one scent blocking out all the others.

"Derek?" Scott touched the werewolf's shoulder.

Before he could respond the alpha collapsed.

-

Derek's eyes opened to see he was lying in his bed. He breathed in. The familiar smell of home greeted him.

"Derek," Gage spoke up gently beside him.

"Gage, my senses...is this real?" Derek asked sitting up slowly.

"Yes, it's real, a witch had you. She played with your head," Gage nodded. He could tell Derek was still processing.

"A witch?" Derek frowned. 

"Yeah, she put illusions in your head," Gage hoped Derek would rely on his senses to help him. Deaton had explained that a person uses their senses to ground themselves and an animal, such as a wolf used their senses to different what was real from what was not real. 

"I want you to meet someone who helped save you," Gage motioned at the door. Damon stepped in carefully.

Derek frowned at the person.

"This is Damon, a friend of Bonnie's," Gage watched as Derek took in the new scent.

"Introducing a new scent can help. You cannot create new scents in your dreams."

Deaton had suggested having him wake up in a familiar place but introduce someone new. Derek had never met Damon before.

"Thank you," Derek nodded at Damon.

"You two look a lot alike, do you hear that often?" Damon smirked.

Derek smiled slightly, "On occasion." 

Gage felt relieved at Derek's response.

"Try to make light of a topic, joke a bit, something that will make him smile. It'll help keep him calm."

"I just wanted to see how you were, that witch did a number on you," Damon nodded before backing towards the door.

"Where is she? The witch?" Derek frowned as if he could answer the question himself if he could remember.

"We don't know, she took off before we found you," Gage answered.

"Is everyone else okay? Did she hurt anyone else?" Derek asked suddenly concerned.

"Everyone is fine," Gage assured his brother, placing a hand on Derek's.

"What about Stiles?" Derek asked cautiously. He was afraid of the news he'd hear.

"He's fine too," Gage waited for Derek to respond anxiously. 

"Why are you so nervous?" Derek could smell it on him.

"You were having trouble differentiating between what was real and what wasn't. You were convinced Stiles was dead."

"Don't lie to him, he'll start to question what's real if you do that. If he asks a question be honest, even if you're afraid of his response."

Derek frowned for a moment, "Can I see him?" 

Gage nodded, "He's downstairs with everyone else."

Derek stood up and followed his brother down the stairs, if this was real and Stiles was alive, Derek was going to do anything he could to gain Stiles' forgiveness. Anything.


	48. It's okay

Stiles sat anxiously on the couch waiting for Gage to come down the stairs with good news.

"What's being said?" Stiles asked looking at Scott. 

"Gage is telling him about the witch," Scott answered.

Stiles tapped his fingers anxiously. It was frustrating not being able to hear. He'd really gotten used to the werewolf senses. But he didn't regret giving them up for Derek. 

"He wants to see you," Scott spoke up again, looking at Stiles.

"Me?" Stiles asked. He felt his heart speed up, he needed to be calm, he didn't want to get Derek worked up.

At that moment Gage walked into the living room with Derek behind him.

"Stiles," Derek said his name quietly, taking in the familiar scent. 

"Derek," Stiles let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, as he stood up.

"You're upset," Derek frowned.

"No, I'm just glad you're okay," Stiles shook his head.

Derek stepped in to Stiles taking his hands in his.

 

"I'm glad you are," Derek leaned in a bit taking in Stiles scent, "I thought you were..." Derek trailed off unable to say it.

"I know," Stiles nodded, dropping his head.

"I'm sorry, for everything. I was-"

"Derek, it's okay," Stiles cut in. He didn't want Derek to apologize anymore.

"It's not okay," Derek disagreed.

"You already apologized, several times."

"But-"

"I forgive you," Stiles squeezed Derek's hands gently.

Derek pulled Stiles into a hug. His arms wrapped around the druid, holding him tightly.

Stiles melted into the hug, he didn't know how much longer Derek would be so open to him, but he loved it.

"I still can't believe this is real," Derek pulled back, taking Stiles' face in his hands.

That made Stiles tense.

"What's wrong?" Derek frowned sensing Stiles' demeanor change.

"I just hope you know that this truly is real," Stiles looked into Derek's bright green eyes.

"I believe you," Derek nodded leaning his head against Stiles'.

Stiles let out a relieved sigh.

"Wait, something is different about you," Derek pulled back a bit.

Stiles felt his nerves heighten.

"You don't smell like a wolf," Derek frowned.

Stiles glanced at Gage who gave a simple nod.

"The witch put a spell on you that...made you human. Your senses were gone. Do you remember that?" Stiles bit his lip.

Derek only nodded.

"The only way to get your werewolf spark back was to transfer mine to you," Stiles explained vaguely.

"You gave up your true alpha status so that I could be a wolf again?" Derek frowned.

Stiles braced for the reaction he knew was coming. Derek would be mad. Stiles had done something risky to save him, once again. 

Derek pressed his lips to Stiles' forehead, "I don't deserve to have someone like you in my life," Derek sighed.

"Wait, you're not mad?" Stiles frowned looking at Derek carefully. 

"Actually, I appreciate it. I've been a wolf all my life, I wouldn't know what to do without it," Derek ran his thumb along Stiles' jaw as he spoke. 

Stiles had tried not to notice how much Derek was touching him. He was curious if it was because he had believed Stiles to be dead or if it was because of Derek's supposed feelings for him. 

"What's wrong?" Derek sensed Stiles discomfort.

"Nothing, I just-" Stiles cut himself off. Deaton told them not to lie, besides Derek would be able to tell anyway. "I'm not used to you being so..." Stiles paused trying to find the right word. 

"Clingy?" Derek asked with a heavy sigh.

"I would've picked a different word," Stiles frowned. 

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it. My wolf can feel your spark reaching out to me and...it feels nice to give in," Derek started to pull away slowly.

"It does feel nice," Stiles agreed gripping Derek's hands gently so that he couldn't pull away. "I don't mind, it's just...different," Stiles dropped his eyes to their hands.

"Stiles," 

Stiles tensed, he knew where Derek was going with the conversation and he wasn't ready to talk about that. He pulled away from Derek quickly before turning to the pack that sat patiently in the dining room, giving them their space. 

"Everyone is happy to have you home," Stiles shifted nervously, hoping Derek wouldn't push it.

Derek's shoulders slumped slightly. He could smell the discomfort and nerves on Stiles. That told Derek that the druid knew about Derek's feelings for him. And though Stiles hadn't outright rejected him, it was implied.

Stiles took a seat back on the couch next to Gage, as Derek made his way to the pack, sitting around the large table.

Gage scooted closer to Stiles putting an arm around the druid, "Are you okay?" 

Stiles leaned into Gage, allowing him to be anchored. The effects of the physical contact between him and Gage was like a drug. "I don't know honestly." Stiles sighed.

"What's wrong?" Gage rubbed gentle circles on Stiles' back.

"He's different, I don't know how to handle that," Stiles frowned glancing over his shoulder to see Derek talking to Isaac.

"We don't know exactly what he went through, but we know it was hell, that would change anybody." Gage responded, following Stiles' gaze.

"He reminds me a lot of how he used to be, less guarded and bitter." Gage said turning back to Stiles.

"I can't help but feel guilty. She did it because of me. I just don't know why." Stiles grew more frustrated at the thought.

"Don't dwell on it, he's home, and he's safe," Gage shook his head.

Stiles leaned his head on Gage's chest, letting the alpha hold him. 

Gage suddenly smelt jealousy heavy in the air. Derek. Gage didn't want to pull away, but his brother had been through enough, but he was Stiles' anchor, it wasn't fair to deny Stiles' that comfort.

"Stiles," Gage pulled away gently, tossing a glance at Derek. It was obvious he was trying to ignore Gage and Stiles. 

Stiles seemed to understand, scooting away from Gage a bit. 

"I don't know what to do about that," Stiles spoke quietly hoping Derek wasn't listening. 

"You don't feel the same way do you?" Gage asked sadly. He knew Stiles loved Derek, but perhaps not in the way Derek loved Stiles. 

"I can't," Stiles sighed, dropping his eyes to his hands in his lap, "I can't love someone who won't let me in."

-

Stiles knocked gently on Derek's bedroom door, it was late and Stiles wasn't sure if Derek would still be awake. 

"Stiles," Derek frowned, glancing around as if he expected someone else.

"Hey, I know it's late, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Stiles rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

"Yeah, I'm doing okay. I still don't remember what happened, but I know what's real," Derek nodded. 

"Will you do me a favor?" Stiles shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Of course," Derek frowned. He was pretty sure Stiles could ask him to do the chicken dance and he'd do it, no questions asked.

"Please don't leave again, I don't think I could bare it," Stiles dropped his eyes to the ground, in embarrassment.

Derek lifted Stiles' chin, "I promise you, I'm not going anywhere." 

Stiles seemed satisfied with that answer. 

"Something's wrong, what is it?" Derek could sense Stiles' discomfort.

"I'm sorry, I just...my spark is dying to be near you, I know you hate it, but I can't help it," Stiles answered, shifting his weight again, his gaze falling back to the floor.

"I don't hate it, at all, it just scared me," Derek objected.

"Scared?" Stiles noted the past tense Derek used.

"Now nothing scares me like the idea of living without you," Derek frowned.

Before Stiles processed what he was doing, his mouth was on Derek's. 

Derek didn't even hesitate, he immediately gave in to Stiles' lips, the feel of them better than he'd ever dreamt.

Suddenly Stiles pulled back, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- that was- I'm sorry-"

"Stiles, it's okay," Derek cut in. 

"It's not...I was..." Stiles bit down on his bottom lip, causing Derek's eyes to drop to Stiles' mouth, 

"You were curious. You know how I feel, and you're spark is drawn to me," Derek smiled slightly at the druid.

Stiles once again dropped his eyes, this time in shame. Derek knew he knew how Derek felt. "All the more reason I shouldn't have."

"I understand. You deserve my brother. I know he'll treat you right," Derek tried to hide the pain. If Stiles wanted to be with Gage, he was going to let it happen, no matter how much it hurt.

"What? Your brother?" Stiles looked up at Derek in confusion.

"I saw you two earlier, on the couch together," Derek failed to hide the disappointment in his tone, "and I could smell the jealousy on you when Damon was flirting with him."

Stiles let out a sigh, "It's not like that. During your absence, he became my anchor. He was the only thing keeping me from falling apart. I've been his anchor since before I was turned. And the thing with Damon...well that was jealousy, but only because I wish I could be that way with...someone. Gage has been crushing on Damon hard for weeks and Damon is super flirty and they're cute together..." Stiles trailed off letting his teeth sink back into his bottom lip.

"Stiles," Derek stepped in carefully running a thumb along Stiles' jaw, "I know you already know this, but I have to say it, and you can do whatever with it," Derek paused, looking into Stiles' whiskey brown eyes, "I'm in love with you, Stiles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry this took so long. I couldn't seem to get it right...


	49. Missed you

Stiles' breath caught in his throat. He had heard it from the others but never directly from Derek and it was strange. The thought still baffled him. 

"Why?" Stiles found himself asking. 

"Why am I in love with you?" Derek asked. Was Stiles really asking him that?

"I just don't get it, you hated me so much, it just doesn't make sense," Stiles frowned.

"Hated you? Stiles, I never hated you," Derek shook his head, "I didn't trust you at first, but that changed very quickly. You wormed your way into my heart and it scared the hell out of me. I found myself worrying about you all the time. It frustrated me, especially cause you kept running head first into trouble. That's why I fought you so hard all the time. I just wanted you to be safe. I started to feel a pull towards you I hadn't before, then you did the thing with the mountain ash and I knew...you were my true emissary. I was so happy but then I realized what that meant for you. You would be risking your life even more, and for me. I didn't want that for you, so I was going to fix it. I know now, that I was wrong to do that, and I'm so sorry. It wasn't my choice to make," Derek dropped his head.

Stiles felt his spark reach out to comfort Derek.

"You still didn't answer my question," Stiles said fighting to keep from giving into his spark. He wanted to know why Derek loved him.

"You're loyal, trustworthy, smart, thoughtful, considerate, kind, loving, generous...Beautiful," Derek watched Stiles' cheeks flush slightly.

"Gage said something to me once, he said you reminded him of Laura. I agree. She was the most amazing person ever. Her and I were close once. Gage said I was scared of how much you reminded me of her. I think I was just afraid of losing you like I did her. You ended up being someone I cared about, more than I wanted to. I tried not to love you, I tried so hard, but it didn't work. Every time I tried to do right by you, I only ended up hurting you," Derek swallowed nervously, "I know now, it's because I was pushing you away, thinking it was what was best. It's not my job to decide what is best for you, so from now on, I promise to leave that up to you," Derek dropped his eyes to the floor. It was odd for him to be so open with Stiles.

"Derek, you have to know, I feel the same way about you but..." Stiles paused, he couldn't believe he was saying this.

"But I've done irreparable damage," Derek nodded taking a step back.

"No, I forgive you, for everything, it's just that I... I can't be with someone who won't let me in," Stiles bit at his bottom lip once again.

"What if I do let you in?" Derek looked at Stiles with hopeful eyes.

"You have to do more than just say it, you have to actually let me in," Stiles shook his head.

"I know, I want to."

Stiles frowned. Was he serious? Would he actually do it?

"You'll have to prove it first," Stiles felt himself wanting Derek even more. The possibility that Derek Hale would actually be open with Stiles was an exciting thought.

"Of course," Derek nodded.

Stiles couldn't help it, he wrapped his arms around Derek, holding him tightly.

Derek returned the hug, burying his head in Stiles' neck. The smell of Stiles was intoxicating to his wolf. He loved it.

"Umm, I offered my room to Bonnie, Damon is staying with Gage, I was planning on crashing the couch, but maybe..." Stiles trailed off, he didn't know why he was even asking this, he knew it wasn't a good idea.

"You can have my room, I'll sleep on the couch," Derek offered before Stiles could finish.

"I was actually thinking I could stay in here with you," Stiles pulled away from Derek, running his hand along the back of his neck. 

Derek held back a smile, "I'd love nothing more."

Stiles bit his lip, blushing once again. 

Derek lead Stiles into the room gently. He closed the door behind him.

"I've missed you much, Der," Stiles said sitting on the bed, letting out a heavy sigh.

Derek rose his brows at the nickname. Stiles had never called him that before.

"I missed you too, more than you even know," Derek sat down next to Stiles, taking the druid's hands in his.

 

Stiles looked at Derek. He wondered what all Derek had gone through in the three weeks he was with the witch.

Derek smelled the curiosity on Stiles and knew what he was thinking about. He took a deep breath before speaking, "I relived your death, over and over. I could hear you but you weren't there, and when you were, you weren't real. You were a memory. Void was there sometimes, most of the time, telling me what you thought of me and how much you hated me and were afraid of me and reminding me of how I let you down. It still feels real."

Stiles looked at Derek in surprise, he never imagined Derek would talk about that. It wasn't something he would have ever done.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why she put you through that," Stiles frowned gripping Derek's hands tighter.

"Because I deserved it," Derek answered.

"Nobody deserves that," Stiles disagreed, shaking his head. The thought that Derek actually believed he deserved to be mentally tortured, killed Stiles. "You're not a bad person Derek. Sure you've made mistakes, but who hasn't?" 

"But I wasn't learning from them, I just kept making them. She, whoever she is, showed me what life without you in it was really like, and if I had let you in, then maybe I could have saved you. I'm not going to make that mistake. You're strong and smart, I can't expect you to sit on the sidelines. At least if I let you in, then you'll trust me and let me help you."

Stiles looked at Derek fondly. He was different now, it was like he was a totally different person. Maybe he was. Gage had said Derek reminded him of how he used to be, before the fire. Stiles had always wondered what it would have been like to know Derek before he'd been broken. Maybe now he would actually get to find out who Derek really was.


	50. But-

Derek layed next to Stiles, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The two layed in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Derek fought to keep from touching Stiles. He wanted to hold him and kiss him and-

"Derek, I can feel your wolf reaching out, what's wrong?" Stiles turned to look at the alpha.

"I'm sorry, I just want to be close to you," Derek sighed.

Stiles felt his chest tighten at his words. He wasn't sure he'd ever be used to Derek being so honest and open. 

"Derek, I'm right next to you," Stiles rolled over so he was facing the alpha. 

Derek, who had rolled to face Stiles, reached out, running his thumb along Stiles' jaw, before allowing it to land on Stiles' arm. "I know, but I want to be closer." 

Stiles ran his tongue over his bottom lip anxiously, causing Derek's eyes to fall to his mouth. 

Stiles felt his heart rate pick up. He knew staying with Derek was a bad idea, but Stiles had spent weeks unsure if he'd ever see the guy again. It was hard to stay away from him.

"How would you feel about being my emissary?" Derek asked suddenly, catching Stiles off guard.

"I think you're caught up in the moment and you'd regret it," Stiles shifted nervously.

"I regret several things, but that wouldn't be one of them," Derek shook his head.

"Three things,"

Derek looked at Stiles quizzically.

"You regret three things," Stiles clarified rolling back onto his back and looking at the ceiling.

Derek let out a sigh. Stiles was referring to the note he'd left him.

"You regret trusting Kate, you regret trusting me, and you regret hurting me."

Derek clenched his jaw before sitting up. "That letter was a cowardly act, and I'm sorry. I've added a few things to my list of regrets since then, that letter being one of them."

Stiles sat up as well, "You said something in your letter... you said, you did want me, all of me, forever, but you didn't deserve me, you didn't deserve anyone..."

Derek dropped his head with a heavy sigh.

"I want you to know that's not true. You've been through a lot, and you deserve to be happy. If being alone makes you happy, that's what you deserve, if being with me makes you happy, that's what you deserve,"  Stiles spoke gently.

Derek turned to Stiles with a hopeful look, "What are you saying?" 

Stiles met Derek's green eyes, "I don't know what I'm saying," Stiles sighed dropping his eyes to his lap. He was in a constant battle with himself. Half of him wanted nothing more than to be with Derek, but the other half was afraid of getting hurt.

Derek lifted Stiles' jaw. As if reading his thoughts, he spoke quietly, "You're afraid." 

"I love you, Derek, but-"

"I've messed up too many times," Derek cut in.

"I want to be with you so bad, but-"

"You don't trust me," Derek finished again.

"So you understand?" Stiles asked hopefully. He didn't want to hurt Derek.

"I do," Derek nodded, turning away.

At that moment, Stiles wished he could still smell Derek's emotions. He wanted to know what Derek was feeling, without asking.

"I'm sorry," Stiles sighed.

"Don't apologize," Derek frowned, turning back towards Stiles, "you have nothing to be sorry for, this is on me." 

"I don't want you to feel that way. I don't want you to look at me and see me as a regret or something that went wrong. I don't want to be lumped in with Kate," Stiles grabbed Derek's hand in his.

"Stiles, you are nothing like Kate. When I look at you, I don't think any of those things. When I look at you, I think, this guy is the best thing to ever happen to me. He's stubborn, smart, beautiful, and I'm so lucky to have him in my life. I don't want you to think you have to be with me so I won't think poorly of you. Stiles, I love you, no matter what. You could leave here right now and decide you want to be with Peter and I'll still look at you the same and I'll still love you the same. Will I be devastated? Beyond belief, but I've learned my lesson when it comes to hurting you. I won't do it again."

Suddenly Stiles' lips were on Derek's. It was a heated kiss, showing Stiles' desperation. He knew he needed to stop. He needed to be careful, these could easily be empty words. But the fact that Derek was saying such meaningful words at all was a big deal. 

Stiles pulled back slightly, breathless. "Damn it, Derek, I hope you mean that, cause I want to allow myself to love you." 

Derek closed his eyes, their foreheads still touching. He wanted Stiles' trust back. He needed Stiles' trust back, his wolf depended on it. 

"I'm gonna go sleep on the couch, cause I don't trust myself in a bed with you after a conversation like that," Stiles climbed out of Derek's bed.

"You're serious?" Derek frowned.

"Dude, you're a Greek god, laying half naked and telling me how much you love me,  I'm dead serious. I only have so much self control. And when your wolf is as desperate as I can feel it is, my spark doesn't exactly make it easy to resist," Stiles threw his hands up for emphasis, "I thought I could handle it, and I thought it would be good, for my spark to be close to you."

"Please don't sleep on the couch, I'll sleep on the couch, stay here," Derek urged, standing. 

"I'm not kicking you out of your bed, Der," Stiles rolled his eyes, "I'll be fine, seriously, Deaton said you need to get some decent rest. You won't get that on the couch."

"Neither will you," Derek countered.

"I've spent the past three weeks sleeping at my computer desk. Knowing you're home and safe, I'll sleep like the dead tonight," Stiles smirked. His smile faded instantly as he saw the way Derek flinched at the word dead. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Stiles stepped in touching Derek's cheek gently.

Derek pulled Stiles into a tight hug once again burying his face in Stiles' neck, taking in the scent. 

"If I promise not to touch you, and to shut up, will you stay? I don't want to be alone," Derek's voice broke. It was hard for him to admit that. 

Stiles heard the desperation in Derek's tone and felt the fear in his wolf. This wasn't just some ploy to get Stiles to stay, this was Derek being truly honest and letting Stiles in.


	51. Nightmares

Stiles carefully made his way down the stairs being sure not to wake anyone up. It was barely after seven. He'd actually gotten a full night of sleep for the first time since Derek had been back. 

"Stiles, you're up early," Gage commented when the druid walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, he made it through the night without any nightmares, finally," Stiles smiled widely at the alpha.

"He didn't wake up at all?" Gage asked surprised.

"Not even once," Stiles shook his head. Derek had been waking two to three times a night with nightmares for the past week. The first night it had happened stressed Stiles out so much he had decided to stay with Derek at night.

Stiles woke to the feel of his spark on high alert. He bolted up in bed, his hands a glow with the heat of his spark. What was going on? That's when he heard Derek's scream. Stiles threw the covers off of him and rushed out of his room towards Derek's. Damon and Bonnie had left that morning, allowing Stiles to have his room back. 

The rest of the pack was stirring Stiles knew, there was no way the whole house wasn't awake. Stiles burst into Derek's room, unsure of what he'd find, an evil witch hovering over him, blood, maybe a chainsaw cutting him in half, by the sounds that Derek was making. But all that he saw was Derek thrashing wildly in his bed, trapped in his bed sheets.

"Derek," Stiles grabbed the werewolf letting his spark calm his wolf. 

Derek quieted down but still thrashed as if trying to get away from Stiles. 

"Derek, it's okay, it's me, I've got you, it's okay," Stiles missed his werewolf strength at that moment, it would have come in handy as he wrapped his arms around the thrashing alpha.

"Shhh, I've got you," Stiles spoke calmly as Derek finally started to calm down. 

"Stiles," Derek panted heavily. 

"I'm right here," Stiles held Derek against his chest so the sound of his heart was against his ear.

Derek relaxed into the druid's arms.

"You were drowning, but it was wolfsbane, I tried to save you, but I couldn't, I couldn't," Derek fought to steady his breathing as he gripped Stiles' arms that were still wrapped around him.

"I'm okay, it was just a dream," Stiles looked towards Derek's bedroom door where the pack stood worriedly.

"That's incredible. What changed?" Gage asked.

"I don't know," Stiles shook his head, "I just hope whatever it is, sticks," 

"I talked to Bonnie, she told me I could trick my mind into having a positive dream. She was almost certain that the nightmares are me remembering the images the witch put in my head. She gave me the recipe for a tea to help me control my dreams. I would have told you, but I didn't want to get your hopes up in case it didn't work," Derek's voice spoke as he walked down the stairs.

"When did you talk to Bonnie?" Gage asked looking up at his brother.

"Yesterday morning. I could see how tired you were, and I felt bad, I knew you wouldn't get a good night's sleep unless I stopped having the nightmares." Derek answered turning to Stiles.

Stiles gave a sympathetic look to the alpha. He felt guilty, Stiles could tell.

"I can't take it every night though. She said I can have adverse reactions to the herbs if I take them too frequently," Derek explained.

"Well Deaton should have gotten back into town last night, we can talk to him and see if there's anything we can do," Gage put a comforting hand on Derek's shoulder.

"You're not mad are you?" Derek asked Stiles.

"Of course not, why would I be mad?" Stiles frowned.

"For not telling you about the tea. I just wanted you to have a restful night."

Stiles felt his heart drop. Derek was practically walking on egg shells around him. He was so afraid to upset Stiles. "Der, I'm not gonna be mad at you for every little thing. Just don't leave again." 

Derek stepped into Stiles, pulling him in close, "I don't think anything could get me to leave you again," 

Stiles smiled, glancing down at where Derek's hands were holding his.

-

Stiles followed Derek into the vet clinic. Deaton had been on a trip to France. Something about his sister.

"Derek, Stiles, I'm sorry I wasn't able to help sooner," Deaton spoke as he opened the gate for them to follow him.

"No worries, how was France?" Stiles asked.

"Unfortunately, I didn't get much down time. My sister had a Darach problem of her own she needed my help with," Deaton smiled.

"Oh, those are always fun," Stiles sneered recalling the one they had encountered.

"So Derek, Gage tells me you've been having nightmares," Deaton started to check his vitals.

"Yeah, pretty bad ones. Bonnie thinks I'm remembering the images the witch put in my head," Derek nodded.

"Yes, she mentioned that when I called her. She knows a bit more about actual spells than I do. This particular spell has been hard to specify. We're going off blind symptoms. Unfortunately there is no way to reverse the spell that was used without the witch. However I was going over some notes my sister gave me, while in France. They have to do with the limbic system. Now this is compiled of the amygdala, the cingulate gyrus, the epithalamus, the hypothalamus, etcetera. But what I found curious, was the use of ECT, electroconvulsive therapy, it's been used to treat depression in severe cases, however a huge side effect is memory loss. Now if you think about the weapons used on werewolves, electricity is one of the most common, as you know, it keeps the werewolf from shifting. So I was thinking about how ECT would work on a werewolf, as it turns out they cannot suffer from memory loss due to the electricity, but it can be restored. The limbic system in a werewolf reacts in an opposite way. Instead of causing the body to go into hyper shock it relaxes the nervous system which in turn allows for better brain function. It's completely opposite to a human. Then I thought about your spark, Stiles, it's powerful because you're a true emissary and Derek is your matched alpha. So what if we used your spark to trigger the limbic system, allowing him to remember what exactly happened during his time with the witch," Deaton spoke thoughtfully as he pulled out a file of handwritten notes.

Derek nodded, "I'll try it."

"Is it safe?" Stiles frowned.

"Completely, I'll just have to guide you so you can direct your spark specifically to his brain. It's a simple procedure," Deaton nodded.

"Okay," Stiles nodded.

"There is one thing you both should be aware of," Deaton said turning to the pair, "You're destined to be tied, so this may enact that bond."

"No," Stiles shook his head sternly. 

"Do it," Derek insisted.

"Derek, no, that isn't something you want," Stiles shook his head again.

"I told you a week ago, I wanted it," Derek argued.

"You feel obligated, that's not how this is going to work," Stiles gestured between the pair.

"Stiles, I've always wanted this, I was just too scared. I'm not scared anymore, in fact the only thing I'm scared of is losing you. I'm not doing this out of obligation. I would be honored to have you as my emissary. I used to think I was cursed, and the universe was punishing me; now I know, it was giving me a second chance. I understand if you don't want this. I'll never ask again if you don't, but if you do, please, trust me when I say I do too." Derek looked at Stiles with hopeful eyes.

Stiles had wanted to be tied to Derek since the day he found out he could, but he never imagined Derek would truly want that. Now here he was practically begging.

"You're sure?" Stiles asked. He wanted Derek to be positive.

Derek nodded, "If there's anything I'm sure about, it's you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys so there is only going to be a few more chapters left. Probably like two at the most. But I'm already in the works of a new idea. Totally different from the other sterek stories I've written. 


	52. I love you

Stiles placed his hands gently on Derek's head as he laid on the metal table in the middle of Deaton's clinic.

"You're sure this is safe?" Stiles asked as Deaton placed a strange apron over Derek's chest.

"Yes, think of it as an x-ray, only instead of us seeing what's inside his skull, Derek is going to see what's inside his brain. Now you may get glimpses of some things, are you going to be alright?" Deaton asked placing his hands on Stiles'.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." 

"Okay, now reach out with your spark, all the way, don't hold back," Deaton instructed.

Stiles nodded, taking a deep breath. He felt for Derek's wolf as he reached out. 

Derek felt a warm tingling in his temples, it was actually relaxing, the tingling spread slowly putting him to sleep.

Stiles fought to hold still as flashes of his own mangled body filled his head. Derek's cries were torture to Stiles' ears. He saw a black haired woman with bright red lips smile menacingly. That must have been the witch. 

Suddenly everything disappeared into the darkness leaving nothing but the sound of his heartbeat, or was it Derek's? 

"Stiles, you can let go now," Deaton spoke calmly. Stiles opened his eyes slowly to see Derek still asleep, a single tear slid out from under his dark lashes. 

Stiles wiped the tear gently. 

Derek opened his eyes to see Stiles looking down at him anxiously. 

"I remember," Derek said quietly as he sat up. 

"It worked?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Derek nodded, "It's all a bit jumbled at the moment but, I remember." 

"I saw some things," Stiles bit at his bottom lip. He couldn't imagine what all Derek had been forced to see, just the glimpses he got were bad enough.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Derek dropped his head.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Stiles touched Derek's cheek gently.

"How do you two feel?" Deaton asked checking Derek's temperature.

"Relaxed," Derek said with a calm sigh. 

"Me too," Stiles nodded. He almost felt drugged.

"You're tied, the procedure bonded you two. Faster than I thought it would, in fact.  It was like a puzzle piece falling into place," Deaton smiled.

Stiles turned to Derek nervously. He hoped Derek wouldn't regret it.

"Is that why I feel so at peace?" Derek asked smiling at his emissary.

"It is, you two will not feel that irritating pull any longer, unless something is seriously wrong, instead you'll feel stronger and more grounded. You are officially each other's anchors as well," Deaton explained.

"Wait, what if I already had an anchor?" Stiles asked nervously, avoiding Derek's jealous eyes. Stiles and Gage had tried to keep from touching each other too much in front of Derek, but they used each other, especially when Derek struggled with reality.

"You can have more than one anchor, in fact, that only makes you stronger," Deaton answered. "Also, Stiles' spark will keep your wolf in tune with reality. No more second guessing and counting fingers. You'll know the difference between sleep and reality. And now that your memories are back, you'll be able to work through them calmly. Since you're tied, you will be able to calm his wolf without being nearby. Of course the closer you are, the stronger the bond." 

Derek stood up, touching Stiles' hand gently. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't do this sooner," Derek apologized. 

"Don't be, everything worked out in the end right?" Stiles smiled at the alpha, his alpha.

"Almost everything," Derek said pulling away from Stiles, avoiding his eyes. 

"Der," Stiles whispered. He knew what the alpha meant and Stiles knew he could trust the alpha. His spark assured him of it. "I love you," Stiles reached up planting a quick kiss on Derek's lips.

Derek smiled down at his emissary before dipping in quickly, taking Stiles into a deep kiss.

Stiles melted into the alpha. Stiles had been nervous to give in to Derek, but Derek had really changed, the three weeks of hell he went through turned him around almost completely. Derek was still stubborn and protective, but at least now he wasn't an ass about it. 

"Let's get home so Gage can stop stressing," Stiles smirked into the kiss. 

Derek only nodded.

 

-

Stiles watched as Derek talked with the pack. They were all having dinner together to celebrate Derek and Stiles being officially tied. 

Gage nudged Stiles with his knee, "So I caught the kiss in the kitchen earlier, have you decided to give him a chance?" 

Stiles felt his cheeks flush. He'd hoped no one would notice. 

"We talked about it in the car home, I don't know if we're telling people yet or not though. He's so different now," Stiles smiled at Derek who wasn't paying attention.

"Believe it or not, this is actually how he used to be. Of course, I've never seen him quite this happy, not even with Paige," Gage looked at his brother fondly.

"I'm really glad you decided to give him a chance, I can't think of anyone more perfect for my brother," Gage sighed.

"I just feel like I can trust him again, that's all I really needed." Stiles bit at his lip as Derek's eyes met his. The bright green shone happily as his lips curved into a smile. He mouthed a simple 'I love you' before turning back to his conversation with Isaac and Ethan. 

"So we've got Isaac and Ethan together, Theo and Liam, me and Derek, what's going on with you and Damon?" Stiles looked at Gage curiously.

Gage dropped his head, "I don't know, he asked me to move to Mystic Falls, apparently there's a pack that could use an alpha..." Gage trailed off.

"You're leaving?" Stiles frowned sadly. 

"I told him I couldn't leave you or my brother," Gage shook his head.

"What? Why?" Stiles gaped at the alpha.

"I promised you a long time ago that I wouldn't leave, I intend to keep that promise," Gage answered simply. 

"Gage, you have to go. You deserve your own pack and you deserve Damon." Stiles frowned. He refused to be the reason Gage wasn't happy with Damon. "Derek is gonna be okay, he's got me, and I've got him." 

Gage looked at Stiles in surprise, "You'd really be okay with that?" 

"I'm a bit upset you didn't tell me before," Stiles crossed his arms at the alpha.

"You were busy with Derek, he takes priority over me-"

"No," Stiles cut in, "You are just as important to me. I'll miss you like crazy, but we'll talk all the time and I'll always be here for you. You've become one of my best friends," Stiles put a hand on Gage's shoulder.

"If you're really okay with it, I'll talk to Derek and once I know he's okay, I might give Damon a call." Gage's eyes danced with excitement. 

Stiles smiled, he would miss Gage but, he'd still see him. Gage's happiness was just as important as Derek's. And Stiles had Derek's happiness covered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is the last chapter, however, there are many who would like a Sterek smut chapter, so I will be adding one. But for those not interested, no need to read it, as this is the end of the story.
> 
> I would like to thank all those who have followed this story. Thank you especially to those who have stuck around since the first chapter, your support means the world to me! Your comments are a highlight of my day, so thank you, and if you're interested I've started a new Sterek story, but it's going to be different from what I've done before. it's gonna be called 'Suffer Well' hope to see you there. xoxo 


	53. His Stiles

Derek double checked the table, making sure everything was perfect. Tonight was his and Stiles' first date and Derek had kicked the pack out for a few hours that night. They were all going to a movie. Stiles had been visiting his dad while Derek got things ready. He had cooked, the one meal Laura had taught him and Gage to cook, Parmesan chicken. He was feelings nervous as he waited anxiously for Stiles to come home. He was supposed to be home by seven, it was three minutes til, not that Derek was counting.  Finally he heard the front door open. 

"Hey, Der, I'm-" Stiles was cut off by Derek's lips. 

"How's your dad?" Derek asked pulling back.

"He's good, he says hi," Stiles smiled. He loved how much Derek cared about his dad.

"Good," Derek lead Stiles gently towards the dining room, "I made dinner."

Stiles' mouth dropped, "I didn't know you could cook?"

"It's the one thing I can cook. Laura taught me, it was mine and Gage's favorite growing up," Derek answered with a soft smile.

Stiles felt his own smile form. It was nice to hear Derek mention Laura so easily. He rarely talked about his family, but he didn't avoid the topic like he used to.

"This is amazing, babe," Stiles mumbled around a mouth full of chicken. 

Derek seemed to deflate with relief. 

"I'm pleasantly surprised by this date. I honestly just expected dinner and a movie," Stiles smiled at his boyfriend.

"I hate going to the theater," Derek shrugged.

"It's not my favorite either, mostly cause I can't sit still for that long. What if I have to pee, or run out of popcorn? I can't pause it," Stiles spoke animatedly, before shoving in another bite.

Derek smiled fondly at his emissary, "I love you."

Stiles blushed heavily, "I love you too."

It had been a relief to hear Stiles admit his feelings for him, and Derek couldn't have been more elated when Stiles agreed to be with Derek. He'd thought for sure his chances were over, but here he was on a first date with the man he loved. 

The two talked and joked through the rest of dinner.

"This was delicious, thank you so much." Stiles planted a kiss on Derek's cheek as he carried his plate to the kitchen. 

"Are you ready for what's next?" Derek asked following the druid.

"Next?" Stiles frowned.

"Yeah, there's more than just dinner," Derek grabbed Stiles' hand and lead him to his room. 

Stiles once again felt his jaw drop as he saw the playstation from the living room set up on Derek's tv with a new game Stiles had been wanting sitting next to two controller's on the bed. 

"I know you like to play and you mentioned wanting the new Call of Duty game," Derek held up the game he had bought earlier that day.

"But I thought you didn't play video games?" Stiles frowned.

"I'd do anything for you," Derek smiled opening the game.

Stiles took the game from Derek's hand gently, setting it aside.

"What are you do-" 

Stiles cut Derek off by connecting their lips. Derek didn't fight as Stiles pushed him back towards the bed.

"You are amazing, you know that?" Stiles spoke as he lifted Derek's shirt up and over his head. Derek felt his heart start to race. 

Stiles slid his hands slowly down Derek's chest. Derek sighed contently into the kiss. He loved the way Stiles touched him.

"May I?" Stiles asked reaching the top of Derek's jeans, his fingers gripping the button gently.

"Please," Derek nodded eagerly.

Stiles grinned as he undid the button. Once he unzipped the jeans, he made no move to push them down. He was teasing Derek, running his fingers along the hem of his barely exposed underwear.

Derek lifted Stiles' shirt off next. His mouth landing on Stiles' neck once the fabric was out of the way. Stiles moaned slightly at the feelings. 

 

Derek felt his wolf preen at the sound. He wanted to hear more. Derek impatiently dropped his own pants before pushing Stiles back onto the bed gently. He crawled over the druid, leaving gentle kisses on his body along the way.

Stiles leaned his head back as Derek's mouth reached his neck. His beard scratched gently at the skin causing Stiles to become more aroused. Apparently he had a thing for Derek's beard. He could only imagine the feel of his between his ass cheeks. The thought made Stiles bite down on his lip.

"Whoa, your scent just spiked, I'm not even doing anything yet," Derek frowned a bit, pulling back so he could see Stiles' face. 

The druid flushed, "I just realized I like the way your beard feels and was imagining the way it felt...in other places."

Derek's eyes darkened at Stiles' words. Stiles had a beard kink. He smirked slightly as he pulled back.

Stiles' heart rate picked up as Derek's hands undid Stiles' pants. He slid them and Stiles' underwear down in one swoop. 

Stiles once again sunk his teeth into his bottom lip as his cock sprung free.

A small growl escaped Derek's throat at the sight. He placed a kiss on Stiles' inner thigh being sure to rub his beard gently along the skin as he moved upward. 

A moan fell from Stiles' lips, He definitely had a thing for Derek's beard. 

Derek fought a satisfied smirk as he inched closer to Stiles' leaking cock. He placed his lips at the base kissing along until he reached the top. He let his tongue slip between his lips and caress Stiles' tip before wrapping his lips around it.

Stiles let out another moan.

Derek let his tongue play around the tip before dropping down, taking Stiles' in as far as he could. 

Another moan escaped Stiles' throat.

Derek bobbed gently, causing Stiles to buck his hips. Derek pressed the druid's hips back into the bed.

"Oh, shit," Stiles swore biting down on his lips.

Derek pulled off of Stiles and looked at him with lust filled eyes, "Don't tell me you have a beard kink, and like to be man handled."

Stiles only bit down on his lip.

"Fuck, Stiles, you are going to kill me," Derek growled, lowering himself back between Stiles' legs. 

This time instead of going for Stiles' dick he went for his balls. 

Stiles let out a whimper of satisfaction. Derek felt his own cock twitch. If Stiles was a whiner, he was going to be in serious trouble. 

Derek spread Stiles' legs as he licked lower being sure to let his beard graze Stiles' skin gently.

"Fuck, Derek," Stiles whined. 

Yep he was a whiner, Derek was screwed. This boy was going to have Derek coming undone just by his sounds.

Stiles tried not to moved as Derek dipped lower, spreading him further. Suddenly Derek's tongue reached his hole, his beard scratching Stiles' cheeks. 

The druid let out a gasp.

Derek's wolf once again preened as the scent of Stiles' arousal spiked. 

"I love how reactive you are to me," Derek said looking up at Stiles, his lips parted at he panted silently.

"I love what you do to me," Stiles responded quietly. 

Derek didn't look away from Stiles' eyes as he sucked on his middle finger and then gently pushed into Stiles.

Stiles let out a satisfied whine once again. 

Derek clenched his jaw at the sound, his cock dripping like a leaky faucet. 

"I'm gonna do something," Derek said pulling out.

Stiles wiggled his hips and whimpered at the loss of contact. 

Derek dropped his underwear and grabbed a bottle of lube. 

Stiles tongue flicked across his lower lip as he watched Derek touch himself slowly. 

"Okay, baby, tell me if this hurts too much," He gently began to press into Stiles. 

The druid felt a sting that immediately disappeared as Derek ran his hand along Stiles' inner thigh. He was pulling the pain as he pushed all the way in.

Stiles moaned out throwing his head back. Derek felt amazing. He bucked his hips a bit causing Derek to grip them tightly, keeping him from moving any further.

"Fuck," Stiles swore. He didn't know he liked to man handled, maybe it was just Derek. 

Derek pulled back slowly before pressing back in. Stiles let out another breathy whimper.

Derek's grip tightened on Stiles' hips, he would surely bruise. 

"Faster, Der," Stiles whine trying to move his currently anchored hips. 

Derek obliged, pulling back and driving back in quickly.

"Oh fuck," Stiles threw his head back. 

Unable to resist, Derek attached his mouth to the skin at the base of Stiles' throat. 

"Oh, Der," Stiles panted as Derek started to speed up. 

Derek released Stiles' hips, sliding an arm around Stiles' back as his lips made their way to his mouth. 

Stiles rocked his hips along to Derek's rhythm, which caused Derek to moan into Stiles' mouth. 

Derek gripped the druid's hand lifting it above his head. 

Stiles' cock had just enough friction between him and Derek as Derek slid in and out of Stiles. 

"Derek," Stiles whined as he felt the familiar coil in the pit of his stomach.

Derek let out a low growl in response. He bit gently at Stiles' neck causing the boy to moan into Derek's ear.

"Fuck, Stiles," Derek growled as he picked up speed.

Stiles' lips parted, allowing short whines to escape as his orgasm built.

"Shit, Stiles," Derek wasn't going to be able to last if Stiles continued to make the sounds he was.

"Oh, Derek, don't stop, oh fuck, Derek," Stiles' whines got louder.

Derek slid in one, two more times before Stiles cried out in pleasure. 

Derek felt a growl build in his throat as Stiles rode out his orgasm. 

"Fuck, baby," Derek growled as he released in Stiles. 

Stiles pulled the alpha into a kiss, "Someone likes it when I whine," Stiles smirked into the kiss.

"You have no idea," Derek growled reconnecting their lips.

"Now get off of me, I need to clean up and then kick your ass at Call of Duty," Stiles smiled.

Derek grinned rolling off of Stiles. He watched as Stiles disappeared into the bathroom. His Stiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No matter how much I try, I always suck at writing smut, so I hope it was okay.   
> Love you guys!!! ❤❤❤

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [All Hale the King (Sterek Podfic)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16097198) by [Halevetica](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halevetica/pseuds/Halevetica)




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